👊 Welcome to Superior, Where Justice Wears Brass Knuckles
Officer George Gothner Throws Punches, City Throws Hush Money
🚨 Cops and Robbers, Except the Robbers Wear Badges
In the frozen drama of Superior, Wisconsin—a town where winter isn’t the coldest thing you’ll face—Officer George Gothner gave us all a masterclass in “community policing,” by way of a knuckle sandwich outside the Keyport Lounge back in 2014. And no, it wasn’t open mic night at the UFC.
Natasha Lancour, a Black woman with an unfortunate proximity to injustice, had the audacity to raise her voice and her hands (empty, I might add) in what most people would call not illegal behavior. Enter Officer Gothner, fresh from the school of “de-escalation by domination,” who decided her face needed a quick meet-and-greet with his fist.
Oh, but don’t worry, kids—the Superior Police Department said it wasn’t “excessive force.” Because apparently, the proper amount of force when someone talks back is a damn haymaker.
🥊 $50K Says “Shhh…”
Let’s take a moment for the city’s logic:
Punch a woman on camera? Nah, not excessive.
Settle the lawsuit for fifty grand three years later? Totally normal.
That’s not justice, folks—that’s PR cleanup with a taxpayer-funded mop. It’s like buying someone a drink after slapping them in public, but the bartender’s your cousin and the drink costs 50 large.
This wasn’t about guilt. This was about the price of silence. Civil settlements don’t scream “innocent.” They whisper, “Let’s pretend this didn’t happen before the next election.”
🧊 “We’re Investigating”—The Midwest’s Favorite Lie
Chief Charles LaGesse came out with his straight-faced soundbite: “We’ll gather all the facts.” Translation? We’ll stall long enough for people to forget.
Then he brought in an “outside investigator,” probably the local equivalent of hiring your brother-in-law to inspect your car after you drove it into a lake. “Unbiased,” in the same way that Fox News is educational programming.
Meanwhile, Gothner remained on the streets. You know, just in case another citizen needed a surprise knuckle appointment.
🎥 Smile for the Dashcam
The dashcam footage was clearer than a John Hughes plot:
Gothner walks up.
Lancour yells (as any sane person might when harassed).
He shoves her against his cruiser.
Then, like a bad 90s action movie sidekick, he delivers a closed-fist punch.
And then the paperwork magic happens: “She scratched me.” Boom. Case closed. Punch retroactively justified. You’d think the man was auditioning for a role in “Walker: Texas Ranger” rather than writing a police report.
🤐 Justice for Sale: Now Accepting PayPal and Public Apathy
The DA, Dan Blank—fitting name—offered nothing. Not even a “we’re looking into it.” Just silence, the kind that screams “we’ve decided already.”
So what’s the real takeaway here? That in Superior, it’s not about what you do, but who you are when you do it. Gothner’s badge didn’t just shield him from punches—it shielded him from consequences.
If you’re wondering how many times this has happened before—congrats, you’re awake. Because Gothner’s resume has more red flags than a Soviet parade. This wasn’t his first dance with discipline. Just the latest one caught on camera.
🎤 Mic Drop
So here’s the question, Superior: Is this justice, or just “acceptable violence” with a pension plan?
Because if you can beat a woman on tape and get a city check rather than a pink slip, the only thing being protected and served here is the officer’s career.
This wasn’t the first accusation.
Sources :
Justice : Taxpayers Paid $50,000.00