Finally: Aggressive TSA Groping At Denver Airport Leads To Sexual Assault Investigation By Police
It is coercive sexual touching that so many of us have been forced to go through simply to board a plane to complete business travel, go on vacation, or see Granny: "Let the government thug grope your sex parts or you can't board your plane."
I had hoped to bring sexual assault charges against the various thugs who groped me, but I was told that it probably wouldn't fly in Los Angeles.
Well, Brian Maass writes at CBS Denver that somebody has finally been successful at getting a sexual assault investigation instituted against a groping TSA thug.
Denver police have initiated a sexual assault investigation focused on Transportation Security Administration officers at a checkpoint at Denver International Airport. It comes after a Colorado woman filed a complaint saying the frisking she received amounted to a sexual assault."It's an open and active investigation," Denver police spokesperson Sonny Jackson said. "We take all complaints seriously and we are on this case as well. We have launched an investigation into it."
The criminal probe stems from a complaint filed by Jamelyn Steenhoek, 39, who was patted down by TSA agents on Dec. 26 as she was escorting her 13-year-old daughter to a flight bound for Philadelphia. Steenhoek was not flying, just getting her daughter to the gate.
"I feel like someone who works for a powerful agency that we are afraid of used their power to violate me sexually -- to put me in my place," said Steenhoek, a working mother for a county social services department. Steenhoke is also a full time college student.
...She said she was ushered into a small private room at the TSA checkpoint with her daughter watching from a few feet away.
"They told me to spread my arms and spread my feet."
She said the female TSA agent seemed to get agitated when Steenhoek tried to hurry the process along so she could get her daughter to her plane.
"At that point she did a pretty invasive search. They are just areas of the body I'm not comfortable being touched in. On the outside of my pants she cupped my crotch. I was uncomfortable with that."
Steenhoek said the agent repeatedly dug her fingers into Steenhoek's armpits.
"The part of the search that bothered most was the breast search. You could tell it shouldn't take that much groping. To me it was as extensive as an exam from my physician -- full touching and grabbing in the front. I felt uncomfortable, I felt violated."She said when the search turned up nothing, the agent repeated it a second time.
"So it didn't make any sense. The whole search was done over and more touching and grabbing than the first time."
The administrative end-run around the Constitution that has us all being treated like plausible suspects plotting terrorism is absolutely wrong -- has no place in a free society and is damaging to the maintenance of our civil liberties.
Every person who stands up to the TSA, who speaks out, who challenges their thuggish power grabs and genital grabs in the name of security -- when it is anything but -- is a friend to civil liberties and all of us.
Never, never allow them to violate you in a private room.
It seems to me that the smaller the airport, the (much) less aggressive/invasive the TSA is. The girls and I flew out of Westchester NY from the small airport there. They weren't even touched, and the one TSA agent said to me, "I'm just going to touch your back" and she put her hand on the back of my shoulder and that was it. I was wearing a pair of Sketchers black flat shoes, and I think the girls were wearing sneakers but we weren't asked to remove them. Number 1's boyfriend was with us, and he wasn't asked to remove his shoes nor was he touched. It cost a little more per ticket but I think it was worth it. I'll fly out of there again before I'll go to an international airport.
Flynne at January 17, 2014 4:59 AM
"Never, never allow them to violate you in a private room."
Absolutely, if at all possible, never go to a private room - make sure they do want they are going to do in front of witnesses.
Charles at January 17, 2014 5:47 AM
It seems to me that the smaller the airport, the (much) less aggressive/invasive the TSA is.
Yes.
I think the reason is that the TSA agents live there, in a smaller community. And many of the people flying in and out of there are also from that community. They may or may not know each other, but would you want to grope your neighbor?
I R A Darth Aggie at January 17, 2014 6:39 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/01/17/tsa_finally_get.html#comment-4205109">comment from Flynneone TSA agent said to me, "I'm just going to touch your back"
Still ridiculous and awful.
I don't want to be touched by any government employee as a non-probable-caused-based search.
In fact, I don't want to be touched by anyone without my permission. I had this wonderful conversation with this man who'd had three pugs, all of whom he said he was never away from for more than four hours during their lifetime (guess he never did jury duty!). They'd grown old and he'd eventually had to put them to sleep. We talked about that process and I had to leave to get home (I had taken Aida to the mailbox with me to mail something), and I said, "Can I give you a hug?" Note that I ASKED FIRST! And got permission.
You do not have my permission, as an agent of my government, to touch me ANYWHERE, unless you have evidence I have some sort of explosive agent or weapon on me that will endanger the lives of others. You don't have the right to search me for drugs, either, by the way. These things being allowed are unconstitutional, as I read the Constitution, and should be legally challenged. (The ban on drugs is what's unconstitutional.)
Amy Alkon at January 17, 2014 6:56 AM
So how do we keep the private room groping from happening? What is the magic phrase to say? I'm just seriously asking as someone who is submissive to authority just enough to realize afterwards that I got taken advantage of. And for that matter with a policeman on the side of road - how do you handle a cop who wants to get handsy with you? I don't wanna get tossed in jail on resisting arrest. But I sure as heck don't want me or my daughter to end up violated either.
gooseegg at January 17, 2014 8:35 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/01/17/tsa_finally_get.html#comment-4205280">comment from gooseegg"I don't want to go in a private room."
"I want my screening to take place here in public."
As for the cop situation, there are a lot of nuances to this -- I write about this in detail, based on cops' and lawyers' input, in my upcoming book.
Amy Alkon at January 17, 2014 8:38 AM
gooseegg:
At the airport, simply refuse. They cannot force you to go into a private room. They might try to punish you by making you wait forever -- this is common, so be prepared -- but they can't force you into a private room. "No, you can search me out here." "No, thanks, you can do the pat-down in public." "No, thank you, you can do it out here, and I want to be able to watch my belongings while it's happening so someone doesn't make off with them."
With cops, you still, now and forever, have those 8 magic words: "No, I do not conset to this search." And there are tons of videos on YouTube and tons of info on the web about this.
Lisa Simeone at January 17, 2014 8:50 AM
Shit, "consent," not "conset." Aaaargh, typos.
Lisa Simeone at January 17, 2014 8:52 AM
I hate to be cynical, but I would be amazed if this went any further than the "investigation" into the IRS targeting of politically unpopular groups.
MarkD at January 17, 2014 9:19 AM
Thanks for the affirmation. Sometimes we know we have rights but forget how to exert them peaceably.
gooseegg at January 17, 2014 11:48 AM
For what it's worth, Goosegg, I have always encountered the private screening offer as an opt-in thing. "Do you want to have a private screening?" "No thanks, out here is fine." It doesn't phase the TSA agents at all. At least not as much as requesting a pat down.
Elle at January 17, 2014 10:40 PM
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