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Baldwin Judge Dismisses Charge Against Muslim Woman Who Claimed Ethnic Profiling

Magistrate Bova decides on controversial Sept. 18 incident.

 

Magistrate John N. Bova of District Court 05-2-18 in Baldwin Borough's Wallace Building, withdrew a disorderly conduct charge against Krysti Swanson on Tuesday morning.

Swanson, a Muslim, was involved in a controversial incident with Baldwin Borough police officers on Sept. 18 in which Swanson said that she was a victim of ethnic profiling, according to a Dec. 6 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Swanson and her family were dressed in traditional Muslim clothing on Sept. 18 when they were approached by Baldwin officers investigating a report of suspicious activity on River Road/East Carson Street.

Swanson has complained about the male officers touching her, saying that men are not permitted to touch women according to Muslim culture.

Baldwin police Chief Michael Scott has said that there were no female officers available. Scott has defended his officers and has said that they were not profiling.

Bova also said that he believed that the officers were not guilty of any wrongdoing, according to another Dec. 6 Post-Gazette article. However, Bova still dismissed the charge against Swanson, who appeared at Tuesday's hearing with an attorney referred to her by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Thoughts? Share them in the comments section below.

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Related Topics: American Civil Liberties Union, Baldwin Borough, Baldwin Borough Police Department, Ethnic Profiling, Islam, John N. Bova, Krysti Swanson, Michael Scott, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Wallace Building

jjtss

9:00 am on Saturday, February 25, 2012

When in Rome do as they do. When in America, muslims may have their own religious beliefs, but I'm sorry civil liberties or not. She's no different than anyone else in tis country when it it comes to police performing their duties. She may consider going back to some muslim country where they don't frisk women under suspicion. When anyone is in America they all have to abide by our rules not theirs.

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Jean Smith

2:16 pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012

I wish WalMart would ban them in their store. Yesterday I watched 2 women in sheets stuffing meat inside pockets in what they were wearing. When I got security over to were they were doing it, they seen one of the women doing it and said they can't do anything about it because they bring a civil liberities lawyer with them to court and the judge dismisses the cases. Then groceries goes up for the working class people.

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jjtss

4:52 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012

What is wrong with us? We Americans have fallen to our lowest levels. When we can just let something go because the actor or perpetrator says their religion won't allow a man to touch her. Tell me how they keep reproducing?

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Sandra

9:24 am on Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Jean Smith, I would hope a surveillance camera would have caught that. Sometimes the ACLU does more harm that good. A police officer isn't allowed to do their job properly because of their religious beliefs, but they can get away with stealing because of their religious beliefs. And yes, the prices go up for the people that actually have to pay to make up for the loss.

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driver

9:48 am on Wednesday, April 4, 2012

I feel that this is wrong however, maybe the disorderly conduct charge was not the appropriate one and this is why the charge was dismissed. I don't know all the facts but I believe with disorderly conduct one must be bothering another somehow. On railroad tracks who was the woman bothering.

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jjtss

6:42 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012

If the person dose not cooperate with the police officer that person can be charged with a number of charges. I believe the officer was being nice by charging her with disorderly conduct. The officer is the law when he or she is on a call.

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Jean Smith

7:11 am on Thursday, April 5, 2012

There are signs posted on railroad tracks about tresspassing on private property and that is what they should of been charged with besides disorderly conduct against the women that hit the officer with flowers. They are no better than the rest of us and so tired of them using their religion to get them out of things.

If they want to live in the UNITED STATES, then they need to follow the rules like everyone else. It isn't like the Police did a strip search of her, then I can see bringing in a female officer. If they want to assault officers then they should be handcuffed and booked into jail.

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