The trial for Noel Carter has been moved to August 15th, preventing any bad PR involving OPD in the aftermath of the Pulse shooting. Carter was beaten in downtown Orlando by police who were being recorded on video, causing national outrage and leading to Chief John Mina being grilled on CNN in an embarrassing interview where he tried to defend his officers’ use of excessive force.
Video evidence shows Noel Carter was kicked, beaten and tased by two Orlando police officers who were moonlighting for the Venue 578, a club downtown. But Carter is the one on trial. That’s right, the man who was publicly beaten by police officers is the one facing trial.
State Attorney Jeff Ashton sided with the Orlando Police Department and Mayor Buddy Dyer, charging Carter with battery on a law-enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, resisting an officer without violence and battery during the June 4th incident outside Venue 578 in downtown. Ashton announced last fall that OPD officers David Cruz and Charles Mays would not face criminal charges, stating their use of force was justified against Noel Carter.
The continued delay in the Carter trial does spare the City of Orlando, Mayor Dyer and OPD from the spotlight coming back to the ongoing local excessive force and police brutality problem.
There are other questions sparked by this case. Carter was visiting downtown Orlando as a tourist, so what is the message being sent to minority tourists visiting the City Beautiful?
Even though Mayor Dyer and City Commissioners have remained quiet on the case, Noel Carter spoke directly to the City Council and defended himself from comments made by Chief Mina against him in the media. “Chief Mina has made it his personal agenda to assassinate my character – to demonize me at any opportunity seen fit,” Carter told the City Council last year.
Many others also spoke out against excessive force and growing community concerns. “Tourists are going to realize what we are doing to our community,” Cathy Hedinger warned at the time.
Stay tuned for more to come on the Noel Carter case and Orlando’s excessive force and police brutality problems.
