Tina Andrews remembers the day she morphed from respected attorney to inmate behind bars like it was a bad dream.

In February of 2005, a meeting with a couple of clients over a child custody matter turned into a full-on confrontation with police at a southwest Houston townhome complex.

“They threw my arm behind my back and jacked me up against the wall and then proceeded to cuff me,” Andrews said.

“He said, ‘I am the police, you do what I say. You lawyers think you’re better than us, but you’re not.’”

An HPD spokesperson confirmed Officer Justin Kennedy came to the address to investigate what turned out to be unfounded reports of domestic abuse. The spokesman said the officer did arrest Andrews, but only after she failed to comply with his demands not to interfere.

Andrews was transported to the Southeast Jail and booked on the charge of obstructing an officer. The next morning she bonded out, and two months later, the charge was dismissed.

A signed affidavit from one of Andrews’ clients states the officer was “scary,” and that he called Andrews the N-word.

Andrews lodged an internal affairs complaint, but the officer has since remained on duty.

Now Andews has filed a million-dollar civil suit against police.  Local activist Quanell X calls it a cry for justice.

“If a woman like this attorney can’t receive justice, what about the average African American, the average minority in this city … What faith do they have?” he said.

As of now, Andrews is left with none.