Bianca's Place

By the people
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(Page 61)

HELSINGIN SANOMAT International

Monday 17.3.2003

Immigration officers put Finnish woman through ordeal at JFK Airport

A 33-year-old Finnish woman underwent a harrowing ordeal at JFK International Airport in New York early last week, as she was on her way to the state of Washington to spend a month with her sister's family.

Now she is back in Finland, and is considering taking up the issue with the US Embassy in Helsinki.
While going through arrival formalities the officials first asked her the usual questions. Then she was taken to a nearby office.

In the office she was told that in 1995 she had stayed in the United States 13 days beyond the 90-day limit for visits without a visa.

This came as a surprise to the woman, who has visited the United States more than ten times, and is quite sure that she did not stay too long on that occasion. The dates were stamped in her old passport, which was probably shredded by the officials who recently issued her a new one. Also, not many people retain old plane ticket stubs that long.

It soon became apparent that the issue was not a simple one, and the woman had already missed her connecting flight.
"They would interrogate me and then they would just make me sit. The worst of it was that I was not allowed to call my sister, who was waiting for me at the airport in Washington", the woman says.

The evening came and the office was closed. The woman was taken to another place at JFK which was open 24 hours a day. For the transport, she and the others with similar problems were put in handcuffs and leg irons.

The shackles were not removed when they reached their destination. Next to the Finnish woman was a London banker wearing a pinstripe suit. He had stayed one day beyond the limit in 1996.

At two in the morning the woman asked the officials what was going to happen. They said that in the morning she would be taken to a place where they could rest and eat.

At nine in the morning on Tuesday the group were shackled to each other and taken to the police lockup in Queens.

"They really made me feel like a criminal. The officials tried to explain that after September 11 - and especially during a terror alert - things are tighter. They spoke about zero tolerance."

All of the gifts that she brought her sister's family - sweets, rye bread, and Koff beer, were thrown in the trash, or poured down a drain.

In the jail she was given a shower, photographed and fingerprinted. More interrogations followed. She was given a blue prison uniform, and Government-issue underwear, and was not allowed to take her hair clasp with her into the cell.

"If I wanted something I had to knock on a small window of the cell."

She began to feel a bit panicky. The next morning at six she woke with a headache. At nine a doctor gave her Tylenol®. She was also given something to read.
At two in the afternoonthe shackles were put back on and the woman was taken back to JFK and the Finnair departure gate. She asked the officials to take off the leg irons at least; it made her feel uncomfortable that the other Finnish passengers saw the situation.

Her wish was granted, but the handcuffs stayed on for another two hours until after she had been taken into the plane.

A Finnair representative urged her to immediately contact the US Embassy in Helsinki, and offered to be a witness if necessary.

The flight attendants did not treat the woman like a criminal. "It felt wonderful to be back in Finland", she said.

17.5.03

Hey max

    First let me say I love the site. It has been on the top or NEAR the top of my bookmarks for 4 years. Its nice to see that I am not the only guy who likes the show "Cops" a little more than most other guys.
    I got caught selling a whole lot somethin that the government says is no OK to sell. I was arressted and sent to the county holding center to await trial. At first the didnt give me a bail but after6 and1\2 months of legal maneuvering the judge made my Bail $100,000 cash or bond. (Isnt that bull shit, I mean serioulsy, just for "some" blow?) Well i dont mean to boast but i have pretty long money so i posted a hundred grand.
    Anywaise, this story isnt about me its about this 1 day i was in the "bull pen" or for the lucky people who haven't been caught yet, the holding cellt. Everyone in the holdind center is pre trail. So, techniclly no one is guilty yet, so transport only consists of a pair of handcuffs on 1 wrist and the other cuff to some other random poor shmuck who wasent carefull enough to stay out of there. While this is ok for the most part guys and girls are almost completly segergated. True, you still see them, the girls i mean, but mainly in the library or mostly in the visiting room across the room. And never in cuffs. I kept looking and waiting for just a glace of a cuffing, a frisk, even a finger printing but it just didnt work out. I did this for 4 months!
    But (DA-d-d-da-DA) the clouds finally parted and God shown on me that day and i was blessed with the greatest most sexy beutiful, ohhhwwow. Ok,this is what happened. I was waithig for a motion hearing and was taken to the bull pen to waight for the paddy wagon to take myself and the other loud ass, shit-smelling, monkeys. (I made some bad $$$$ making
decions but iI know how to act and how to shower!!) So, I am waighting for two and a half hours and 1 by one they anounce the different city courts and there buses and finally i am the only person left in the cell. 2 more hours go by and i realize im going to be late for court. Its my fault but still that sucks nonetheless. Eventually my town is called and I am escorted to the
cuffing/search sally port. well there is no one else there going to the city i was arrested in. I was thinking no stinky crack heads going on about how they didnt mean to start the fire or everyone bitching about how it had to have been illegle search and seizure so they will get off (but they never do). Just then a jemale deputy comes in to the room THIS IS WERE IT GETS GOOD! She tells the Marshal, the guy in charge of transfers, that the is also only 1 remaining girl going to the
same city i was. She said that she knew it was against regulations but she would be late too, so maby to keep them out of trouble she could just ride in the same padwag as me.My heart fluttered. He agreed reluctanlty and to my delight i was cuffed quicly to this girl( i say girl because she couldent have been more than 20. she was freaking georgus. The marshell yealled
quickly that we weren supposed to be on th same PW not no even bring up cufing us TOGETHER. So he leaves and comes back with 2 handfulls of short and long chains.He applies them to me Ill be brief because a guy in cuffs isnt the point, you agree?     so when iwas "properly restrained" i looked at at the girl who was waiting and watching with a horrified look on her face.
She quietly asked the 1st Dep.if she was to get all the same chains and he said "I guess so Ma'am".(Pigs will call and women even if she is 18 maam. Just a side track sorry) .So I look at her and I figured these were the cloths she was aressted in. When you go to court you change out of your oranges and into the clothes you were aressted. i was awoken out of my sleep so i had
shorts and a wife beater on. This women, girl Godess, must have been out ata party.She wasnt a freak She wasnt dressed slutty it was sexy but a little understated. She was wearing a brown suede skirt just above her knees, a sensable top that drew attention to her nice brest without showing too much of them that was more khaki than brown and these awsome sexy brown
leather sandals, you know the one that are like flipflops but not like you would whare tehm to the beach. they were platformed snd had three straps that after wrapping ther perfact feet they procieded to the thong.(Do i like feet and shoes? What gave me away?"they wereslip ons, like with on strap to wrap around the back so the flipflopped when she walked. the had brown
hairand perfect dark skin. She must have been itallian. I learned this was true when i learned her last name was Belluichio
    The Marshall stepped up to her and told her to put her left hand out wrist up. He took out a pair of cuffs and locked her wrist andthen he asked for the other. She complied and he locked the other cuff on her right wrist. I wont even tell you what was going on in my head but, DAMN! He told her toto lift her cuffed wrists above her hear and ahe sid. He picked up a long chain and wrapped ti around her slender waiste. He bruoght her handcuffed wrists down and the attached them with a small key lock to the chain about her waist. Im going crazy over there but imstaring by this point. He then askes her to turn around.
She did and he asked her to lift up her left foot behind her. He takes out a pair og Hid legirons and bends down. Wereing a skirt, her lower legs are clearly visably. He slowly locks the firs cuff around her ankle. Ill never forget that clicking sound till i die. She lifts her other leg and as he is attaching the other cuff, this is the best part, her sandal falls off. Now im adjust ing my
pants not to imberris myself or here but this is just to damn sexy. They wouldent understand anywho. THe Dep puts it back on and we shuulfe off th the pW her 1st and me eyes wide open remembering this whole moment . DAmn   *I know ist so rediculus to restrain a girl who is less that 120 pounds but God bless the american prison system for that kind of restraints.

love
tonysoprano223 @ hotmail . com

17.5.03

Dear Max, !

I read with some disgust the Ordeal of the Finnish Lady as stated on your Website recently and fear very much that this is exactly the Point why I never travel to the USA. I would urge her, first of all, to press for massive Damages citing the totally unnecessary procedures destroying
Presents, unlawful imprisonment, and missing Flights detailing the situation to her Lawyers. I would try to press for about 1 MIll $ USD, which is what I would ask for in a similar case. What I wish to point out is that european Business travellers who are obviously only travelling and nothing else, should be treated with the utmost defference and politely, Problems in Europe unless an actual criminal case, are usually dealt with in an Office without any further harrassment, which by the way is against the Law.

The sad fact is, that I would not go to the USA even if invited and all costs paid, its too great a risk to be involved in some shit that doesnt turn a hair in Europe.

Best Regards,
Chris

30.5.03

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Available in DVD

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