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U.S. NEWS Friday 21 February 2020

Nome, Alaska sued by woman

who says rape wasn't investigated

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) reason," she said, holding of getting home the night
— A former police dis- back tears. "I can't undo before. Friends called her,
patcher in a small Alaska the harm done to the hun- she said, telling her about
town filed a lawsuit Thurs- dreds of women the Nome photos and a video posted
day, alleging her col- Police Department failed to on Snapchat that seemed
leagues in the Nome Police help, but maybe I can stop to show a man having sex
Department didn't investi- this from happening again. with her while she was un-
gate after she filed a rape Maybe that's my purpose." conscious.
report. Nome's own police data Hardy told Harvey she be-
Clarice Hardy's lawsuit showed between 2008 and lieved she'd been drugged Clarice Hardy speaks at a news conference Thursday, Feb. 20,
claims the inaction was 2017, only 8% of calls about at a local bar and then 2020, in Anchorage, Alaska.
"part of the city's systemic sexual assaults against sexually assaulted. She said Associated Press
and ongoing failure to pro- adults resulted in arrests she gave him a list of wit-
tect Alaska Native woman with charges filed in the city nesses but they later told It was the same thing he and said he would give it to
from sexual abuse and as- of about 4,000 residents lo- her no one from the police told her every time she the Alaska State Troopers
sault." cated on the Bering Sea department contacted asked about her own case, so they could investigate.
The Associated Press does coast. them. Meanwhile she took Hardy said. Two months later, Hardy
not normally name alleged Nome City Manager Glenn calls from others who were "That's when it sparked," she said she asked him the sta-
victims of sexual assault but Steckmann, who has been seeking updates on their said. "Oh my God, he's not tus of the report. "Chief Pa-
Hardy has repeatedly spo- on the job since November, sexual assault reports from doing anything." pasodora told Ms. Hardy
ken in public about her ex- told the AP he hadn't seen Harvey. She told Papasodora, and that he 'had been mean-
perience. the lawsuit, and wouldn't "Just tell her I'm working on she said he said he could ing to get to it,' but that he
The lawsuit filed in federal be able to comment on it," was his response, Hardy not find a report. He asked had not yet taken any ac-
court on behalf of Hardy by pending litigation anyway. previously told the AP. her to fill out another report tion," the lawsuit said.q
the ACLU seeks unspecified Besides the city, two former
monetary damages and a officers, Lt. Nicholas Harvey
jury trial in Nome. It came and Chief John Papaso-
after complaints by Alaska droa, were also named as
Native women were inves- defendants. Both no longer
tigated by The Associated work for the police depart-
Press, the Anchorage Daily ment.
News and other media out- The lawsuit claims Papaso-
lets. droa "was aware of these
The six counts in the lawsuit failures and ratified his
includes a violation of the staff's persistent practice
Equal Protection Clause of of inadequately respond-
the 14th Amendment to ing to sexual assault reports
the U.S. Constitution. and allowed it to continue."
Last year, the ACLU sent An audit by Papasodora's
a demand letter, seeking successor, Robert Estes,
$500,000 on Hardy's behalf found that 76 of the 182
if the city was willing to set- sexual assault reports made
tle out of court. between 2015 to 2018 were
"Those claims were essen- inadequately investigated.
tially ignored, much like The lawsuit claimed Harvey
Miss Hardy's have, and the was responsible for many of
city refused to negotiate those faulty investigations.
with us," Stephen Koteff, "In some of those cases, Lt.
ACLU's legal director in Harvey conducted no in-
Alaska, told reporters. vestigation at all," the law-
The lawsuit also seeks an suit said.
injunction to force the City Phone message and email
of Nome to cease any dis- messages to Harvey seek-
criminatory practices and ing comment were not re-
ensure all sexual assault re- turned. Efforts to find phone
ports are investigated thor- contact information for Pa-
oughly. It also seeks puni- pasodora were unsuccess-
tive damages from the city ful.
and separately from two Estes quit in October 2019,
former police officers. a day after the Nome City
Hardy said she no lon- Council rejected his re-
ger felt safe in Nome and quest for more resources to
moved to her home vil- investigate cases.
lage, Shaktoolik, where she Hardy, of Inupiaq heritage,
said girls and men tell her was a 911 dispatcher for
similar stories of abuse. Nome police from 2015 to
"It reminds me that no mat- 2018.
ter how bad my trauma is, In March 2017, she awoke
or how real my depression, one morning, sore and
is that I have a voice for a bruised, with no memory