Juanita Fitzgerald spent her 94th birthday in a motel room after being released from jail the day before.
She was arrested for allegedly not paying rent at the senior housing community where she had lived since 2011.
The National Church Residences’ Franklin House accused her of refusing to leave because ‘she thought she was going to die soon.’
Juanita says that isn’t true and that she tried to pay her rent in October, but they just wanted her out.
Bodycam footage from the arrest showed Juanita screaming and sliding to the ground as police manhandle her to take away.
A police report obtained by The Miami Herald noted that Juanita had told officers, ‘Unless you carry me out of here, I’m not going anywhere.’
While in jail, she gave an interview in which bruises and scratches can be seen on her ankles. She says they were from her handcuffs, however the police report says she was transported to jail without handcuffs because of her age.
She’s wearing handcuffs in the video, however.
Take a look:
Bless her heart. Even if she didn’t pay rent, surely someone could’ve found a better way to handle this situation — right?
