From Staff Reporter
He wasn’t tased, shot, hit with a baton, beat, physically hit by the officer with any weapon or the officer’s hands, hospitalized, taken to jail, or killed, but he was wrongfully arrested and the officer forcibly threw him to the ground without provocation or cause. In other words, the Miami Police Department officer applied excessive force and violated his civil rights.
After successfully representing him in the criminal case by getting the sole charge of “resisting arrest without violence” dropped, Attorney Rawsi Williams sought justice for Mr. Oscar Juien-Riou internally and in federal court.
Williams filed a complaint with Internal Affairs, which exonerated its officer on all allegations except finding that that the officer did lie in his sworn statement about the arrest, falsely stating he’d instructed Mr. Riou to put his hands behind his back to be arrested, which body-cam footage showed never occurred.
Fighting for her client to the end with that wrongful determination by Internal Affairs, Attorney Williams proceeded to file a complaint with Miami’s CIP, comprised of racially and academically diverse attorneys, citizens, and former/retired police officers, who overwhelmingly found in Mr. Riou’s favor.
Out of the 12 allegations filed against the officers, only one was not sustained.
Now, justice has been reached as the City’s commission approved Mr. Riou’s settlement demand of $50,000 on 12/09/21.
Mr. Riou is a retired Army veteran, retired V.A. Registered Nurse as his second career, and Minister who had never been arrested in his life prior to this wrongful arrest encounter with Officer Ioannys Llanes of the Miami Police Department, while he was sitting alone on a park bench at Alonzo Kelly Park across from his home not bothering anyone.
Now, he can move forward in his life.
Attorney Williams is a fighter for justice and always willing to go all the way to trial for any lawsuit she files. Her satisfaction comes in knowing that her clients receive justice, which is what matters most and she stands on scripture: But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. (Amos 5:24, KJV.)
