On 10 June 2008, artist Momoku Sudo was walking and taking photos in Coral Gables, Florida. After she snapped a photo of Coral Gables police officer Nelson Rodriguez, he demanded that she hand over her camera. After getting Sudo to help him change the display from Japanese to English, Rodriguez deleted all the photos from her memory card, then removed the memory card from her camera and threw it on the ground. He refused to identify himself to Sudo, and ordered her to leave the area.
She was able to recover her photos using a data recovery program, but wasn’t able to get any satisfaction from the Coral Gables police. Finally, a journalist found out the officer’s name, and learned that he had received a written reprimand that would remain in his file for one year.
Read more:
Civil Rights Violation by Local Police in Coral Gables
The picture that drove a Coral Gables police officer over the edge
