Kirsty Powell, 34, from Long Beach, California, has launched legal action against the Long beach police department after a Police officer forcibly pulled off her hijab during an arrest, reported by Press Telegram.
May of last year, Kirsty Powell was driving with her husband, Deshawn Smith, in the car near Market Street and Long Beach Boulevard, when she was pulled over by two police officers. Kirsty Powell was arrested due to two outstanding warrants associated with her name. One warrant was due to shoplifting at a grocery store in 2002 and another involved her sister falsely using Kirsty's identity.
The complaint filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on behalf of Kirsty stated, she was told that her husband could remove her hijab or the police would, as at the time Kirsty was in handcuffs. Her husband requested for a female officer, his request was denied as one officer stripped Kirsty's hijab off of her head in full view of male officers and inmates.
The lawsuit the Kirsty has filed has stated that she "suffered and continues to suffer extreme shame, humiliation, mental anguish and emotional distress". The trial is set to continue.