Tortured Nashville mother begins journey for justice Friday

Mrs. Juana Villegas (DeLaPaz) takes her first step toward justice for her torture and the abuse of her newborn in a court hearing this Friday in Berry Hill.

Berry Hill is a governmental entity inside the Nashville city limits and Davidson County border. It was there, three days before she was scheduled to deliver her fourth child, that Mrs. Villegas' inhumane treatment at the hands of local law enforcement authorities began.

A video report by WKRN Channel 2 contains an initial statement from the county sheriff's department that Mrs. Villegas was stopped by Berry Hill police for driving a vehicle without an operator's license. Since the vehicle was moving, that would make the stop by Sgt. Timothy Coleman to be one of racial profiling. That's against the law.

The sheriff's department takes all people arrested -- no matter the reason -- and holds them for the courts. If you are an expectant mother and have a previous non-violent record, you're in for a hell of an experience. And if you're in this country without proper documentation, then you are even more at risk because of the 287g deportation program.

The sheriff's department, in a response to a post on this blog, now says its initial statement on why Mrs. Villegas was initially stopped was a mistake. You can go to the blog post for last Thursday and check out the video and various comments,

Mrs. Villegas will be arraigned on a charge of reckless driving, with by reported accounts seems to point to passing a vehicle in the wrong lane. Such is the threat Mrs. Villegas posed to safe and secure Nashville.

Some well-meaning advocates of Mrs. Villegas are asking for a massive turnout at the hearing. I do not know if that is wise. All you'll get is a like crowd of people on the other side of this matter. And Mrs. Villegas will be further embarrassed for a much broader wrong she did not bring on herself.

I'll keep you updated on her situation and any need for you as a person of conscience to act. Mrs. Villegas' case is part of my agenda, as it has become for people across this area and country who do not believe in expectant mothers being treated so cruelly by a nation supposedly under God.