As if life in America didn’t already come with enough daily dread, from economic instability to wildfires to ever-mounting climate disasters like terrifying ice storms, now add this: being brutalized by the people who are supposed to protect you. A newly surfaced video from July 27, 2023, has come into public view due to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed in Oregon. In it, you see a disturbing act of violence inside a jail cell, committed by Clackamas County sheriff’s deputy Jeanamarie K. Fisher. The victim is Antwon Lee Roosevelt Williams, a 43-year-old man with intellectual disabilities and a history of mental health challenges.
The video shows Fisher waking Williams from sleep in his cell to take him to a medical appointment. What followed was not medical care but violence. Williams, possibly irritated or disoriented after being suddenly awoken, tossed a shirt at the deputy. One of the items reportedly struck her in the face. That was all it took. Fisher lashed out, launching a flurry of punches, seven in total, to Williams’ head, all within the span of four seconds. He tried to shield himself with his hands, but it didn’t stop the onslaught.
A second deputy, Marissa Phillips, soon joined in. Instead of calming the situation, she helped pin Williams down. She grabbed his arm and forced him to the ground with Fisher. Together, they handcuffed him.
What happened next only adds to the sense of disbelief. Jail corridor footage captured Fisher mimicking the punches she had just thrown. She reenacted the attack for her supervisor, Sgt. Matt Savage, who responded not with concern or discipline but with a chilling gesture. He raised a finger to his lips, telling her to stay quiet. According to the lawsuit, this was the beginning of an attempted cover-up. Savage later signed off on Fisher’s use-of-force report, essentially giving it his stamp of approval.
The lawsuit argues that the violence against Williams was not only excessive but constituted abuse against a vulnerable individual. It also claims that the supervisor’s actions enabled and concealed that abuse. Williams later reported the incident, saying he was punched in the head, nose, and cheek. He rated his pain as a nine out of ten.
Fisher, unsurprisingly, tried to justify her actions. She claimed that when the shirt hit her, it blocked her vision and made her fear a sudden attack. She said she couldn’t see what Williams might do next and decided to strike preemptively. But her explanation didn’t hold up. Sgt. Heidi Wooster, the sheriff’s defensive tactics supervisor, found Fisher’s use of force to be in violation of policy and called for further investigation.
Fisher was placed on paid leave while the Oregon State Police launched a criminal inquiry that ultimately led to Fisher being fired in early 2024. She was charged with harassment and two counts of official misconduct. In March, she admitted to second-degree official misconduct and was given a year of probation, 40 hours of community service, and had to give up her law enforcement certification.
To top it all off, Clackamas County’s Board of Commissioners announced they would not defend her in the civil lawsuit. She is now on her own as the lawsuit moves forward, facing not just legal consequences but the long shadow of her own violent decisions.
Countless internet users have condemned the actions of the former Clackamas County deputy, calling her behavior excessive and deeply violent. While many were glad to see her face some consequences, they expressed doubt that this would be the end of it. As one commenter put it, “She’s probably gonna go work for ICE.”
