Police assault, bind clerk candidate for 3.5 hours in Detroit

Scotty Boman, a candidate for Detroit clerk, was assaulted by police and left alone in handcuffs and without water in a closet-sized room for more than three hours for trying to take photos of what he considered unethical signs posted by his challenger, incumbent Clerk Janice Winfrey, he said.

The math and physics professor at Wayne County Community College also was trying to hand out campaign literature more than 100 feet from a polling station at his college’s northwestern campus.

Boman, a libertarian who was later treated at a local hospital, said WCCCD officers slammed his head into a wall and handcuffed him “in a torturous position” shortly after 3 p.m.

“I lost control of my right arm,” Boman told me. “They kept me bound, isolated and without water for 3.5 hours, to intimidate me from attending a candidate forum.”

Boman said the officers laughed at him while he was stuck in handcuffs. By the time his camera was returned, incriminating video he took of the police was deleted.  The officers, he said, threatened to arrest him if he brought the camera back to the campus.

By the time Boman reached the candidate forum, it was nearly over.

Boman was treated at a local hospital, where he said he lacked enough control of his right hand to sign medical forms. He also was unable to shake hands after the forum.

His photos showed that Winfrey was using tax dollars to advertise her name on numerous city signs near voting polls.

Campus police declined to talk with me and referred questions to other campus officials, who have not yet returned calls for comment. Winfrey also couldn’t be reached for comment.

Check back for updates.

  2013 election, Assault, Clerk candidates, detroit, election, Janice Winfrey, police, Scott Boman, steve

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.

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