Nena Williams, the woman who was dragged down a driveway and sustained permanent injuries
in May, 1996 (see PPR #12) has won a judgment from the City of Portland for $40,000.
The incident occurred when Williams was followed by police after a fender-bender at a fast-food
restaurant. When she realized the police were behind her, Williams pulled off into a driveway at a
private residence. She got out of the car and lay down on the ground so police could take her into
custody.
But when the officer, Jason Francis, realized he couldn't lift the heavy-set Gulf War veteran on his own, he dragged her to the car by her arms, rather than asking for help.
When Williams filed a complaint to Internal Affairs and later appealed her case to the police review board (PIIAC), photos of the scars on her legs indicated that the police had done permanent damage.
Ultimately, the City Council voted 3-2 to find misconduct in the case, and the Chief Moose disagreed, letting the cops off the hook and leaving Williams with only one route: litigation.
As it happens, Williams appeared with Copwatch on a radio program in 1997, during which an acquaintance of Officer Francis heard the description of the cop dragging Nena around. The woman was able to hook up with Williams and tell her that Francis had bragged to her about what he had done, referred to Nena as "fat" and "lard ass," and expressed that "no female should look like that," referring to her weight.
As the date to go to trial approached, the City realized this testimony would be damaging; they agreed to the judgment and, in a rare move, did not require a "gag order" on Williams. The language of the judgment‹which is different from an out-of-court settlement‹essentially means the City admitted fault for what happened.
Williams, who has worked diligently to advocate changes to PIIAC, which was powerless to help her, is now following up with a second round of complaints to Internal Affairs‹this time because Francis lied to investigators.
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