The city of
Long Beach, California, will pay $85,000 to settle a 2016 lawsuit filed by a
Muslim woman after a Police officer forcibly removed her hijab when she was in
police custody.
According to
reports, the incident started when Kirsty Powell and her husband were pulled
over by police for driving a "low rider" car. Powell was the
passenger, but was arrested after police found a warrant under her name for a
shoplifting incident.
Powell's
husband requested a female officer handle the arrest, according to the suit,
but the arresting officers denied the request and told Powell she had to remove
her hijab. Powell spent the night in prison without her headscarf. It was
returned when her husband posted her bond.
The lawsuit
states Powell was "forced to appear in a publicly available booking photo
without her religious headwear." Adding," As a result of the
foregoing deprivations of the free exercise of her religion, Kirsty Powell
suffered severe discomfort, humiliation, and emotional distress."
Powell filed
the lawsuit in April 2016, alleging the police department had violated her
First Amendment rights. "She cried throughout the ordeal and experienced
humiliation when both her religious beliefs and personal integrity were
violated," the lawsuit said.
The Long
Beach Police Department changed its policy in November 2016 to allow an
arrested person to wear religious headgear unless there is a safety concern.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced the settlement in a press
release praising Powell.
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