Social Justice
Woman files discrimination lawsuit after alleging wrongful detainment by Kansas City Police
Elaine McAlister said she was wrongly detained for several days, and even after showing proof they had the wrong person, they still locked up in a Platte County jail.
Elaine McAlister has filed a lawsuit against Kansas City, Missouri and two of its airport officers accusing them of false arrest, racial discrimination and harassment.
McAlister, a 31-year-old nurse, said she was wrongfully detained for several days, and even after showing proof they had the wrong person, they still locked her up in a Platte County jail.
She says she’s now forever changed by the horrific incident.
Elaine McAlister’s lawsuit
The lawsuit filed in Platte County, Missouri, on Jan. 31 by the Holman Schiavone law firm in Kansas City, details the horrowing events.
On Oct. 14, 2023, McAlister was at the Kansas City International Airport, headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica. But the trip would be uprooted.
Arrest
According to the lawsuit, McAlister was put into handcuffs after being approached by two airport police officers and a customs and border patrol agent.
McAlister was informed that she was being arrested on an outstanding warrant regarding a marijuana charge in Kansas.
But she wasn’t the woman they were looking for.
Authorities matched her identity to a woman, who’d taken her driver license and used it in an incident where she was pulled over in August 2023.
A driver’s license McAlister hadn’t been able to find for months. The imposter didn’t resemble her, except for one factor, both are Black women.
Her friend sees the mug shot that the officers are using and she tells them they have the wrong woman.
But those arguments are not heard. Even though the tattoos that the imposter had did not match McAlister’s, she was still put in the Platte County Jail for four nights.
“It is obvious to any reasonable person, let alone a law enforcement officer, that the person in the Johnson County, Kansas booking photograph has no similarity to Plaintiff other than also appearing to be a Black/African-American female,” the claim states.
Elaine McAlister was finally released
McAlister was eventually released and cleared, but the lawsuit states she’s suffered from severe anxiety and fear, and she is looking for compensation from the city for this damaging experience, the trip missed, attorney fees and more.
She’s also demanding a jury trial.
The amount McAlister is seeking was not publicly announced.
Discover more from Unheard Voices Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
-
Crime & Justice1 week ago
Alabama mother sues state workers after 3-year-old son dies in scorching hot car
-
Community1 week ago
New Jersey mourns Esiyah Dixon-Waheed, pageant queen, HBCU alumna, killed in Missouri drunk-driving crash
-
Crime & Justice6 days ago
Virginia man sentenced to life for murder of New Jersey councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour
-
Community6 days ago
Burger King employee who went viral for running restaurant alone for 12 hours says she was fired; GoFundMe launched
-
Health & Wellness1 week ago
Actor/Comedian Guy Torry hospitalized with pulmonary embolism, shares update from recovery
-
Crime & Justice19 hours ago
New York’s Mom’s PhD Graduation Turns Tragic as Teen Daughter Struck by Stray Bullet
-
Crime & Justice21 hours ago
Comedian Reggie Carroll tragically shot and killed while on tour in Mississippi
-
News2 weeks ago
Florida woman accused of posing as nurse, treated nearly 4,500 patients without license