St. Louis Police Spokesman Jeff Roorda Faces Assault Charges: Woman Says He Knocked Her Glasses Off, Injured Her

Police Association spokesman Jeff Roorda came under fire several times during and after the legal proceedings in the case of Darren Wilson, the St. Louis police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown. Among other things, Roorda was accused of a conflict of interest when he helped fundraise for Wilson. Now, he’s facing assault charges after pushing his way to the front of a meeting. Cachet Currie says Roorda knocked her glasses off, and caused her injury, when he roughly handled her on his way through the crowd.

Roorda, who was reportedly fired from one police department for filing false reports to cover for other officers, now represents St. Louis’ Police Association. In that capacity, he showed up at a meeting last week to speak in opposition to a civilian oversight board. The board is proposed to oversee police action, and Roorda, who is also on record opposing the use of body cams and dash cams (which, according to Roorda, give false impressions by showing only one angle on an incident), showed up to the meeting wearing an “I am Darren Wilson” bracelet.

Jeff Roorda wearing his ‘I Am Darren Wilson’ bracelet. Just before he assaulted a woman. @OBS_STL #passCOB pic.twitter.com/gg4hJEkk5o

— EBSmith (@evanbakersmith) January 29, 2015

Even as images of Jeff Roorda and his bracelet (which police were ordered by the Justice Department back in September to stop wearing, according to NPR) made the rounds on Twitter, the meeting room became active. As people stood and moved and raised their voices, Roorda moved toward the front of the room.

Though some claim a video shows Currie elbowing and “hip-checking” Roorda, the short, blurry clip appears to show Roorda pressing closely past her, in a tightly packed room, before grabbing her arm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx2G1KOazX8

This coincides with Currie’s version of the story: she says, according to Riverfront Times, that Jeff Roorda shoved her, and grabbed her arm, knocking her glasses off and causing a laceration to her forehead.

This is the woman who was assaulted by Jeff Rooda. This is her injury from the president of the police association. pic.twitter.com/Fv5UJDtaoz

— Alexis (@keenblackgirl) January 29, 2015

Speaking to KMOV, Currie said that she was trying to leave when she got caught between Roorda and Alderman Terry Kennedy, to whom Roorda was speaking. She says Roorda shoved her, and someone else grabbed her hair.

“Roorda just jumped out into the aisle, pushed me over, and tried to get to Kennedy. I’m like ‘wait a minute, don’t push me.’ Then he started going off on me, pushing me. Some man grabbed me by the hair, just started trying to throw punches at me. From there it just went wild.”

Roorda was asked by a reporter for the Guardian if he would issue an apology for injuring the woman.

I asked Jeff Roorda if he’d apologise to Cachet Currie for grabbing her arm, appearing to push her. He said: “Oh god, no. No, no, no.”

— Jon Swaine (@jonswaine) January 29, 2015

As for the meeting, and its purpose — well, judging from this tweet by St. Louis’ mayor, Roorda won’t get his way on that, either.

The city will soon have civilian oversight board. It will do an important job fairly. #fgs

— MayorSlay.com (@MayorSlay) January 29, 2015

Jeff Roorda says that the entire meeting was a sham, and that he’s considering pressing charges himself.

[Photo: HandsUpUnited]