from myspace article
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Innocent Until Proven Guilty?!?!?
Current mood: angry
Category: News and Politics
So last night, I was off work after a slightly stressful day. My job is pretty intense at times. I decided to go with a friend to grab a drink at the Fourth Street Pub and catch a bit of time on the patio with some other friends, when the storm started.
Suddenly, the bands that had been checking in their gear were in the alley that seperates the District from Fourth Street Pub and their were police officers everywhere.
Apparently the cops were towing the cars in the alley. Now we all know as musicians, you get your shit in and then you go park, especially on a Friday night downtown. But the band at the District had not done that and now were paying the price. The problem was that the bands that were loading in at the time were now getting towed too. Well here come the bar owners of both venues and they were not happy.
One owner, from the District came out to talk to the officers and it got, well, a little heated, or so it seemed. The next thing I know, as I sat and looked on, was that the District owner was trying to walk away from the officer and the officer was not done yet. The cop grabs John's arm, as John is trying to walk away and then, the cop yelled for back-up and then three officers proceeded to pummel, and I mean, pummel John to the ground. They proceeded to smash his head into the sidewalk and then get him to his feet and walk him to the middle of Central Avenue, which was blocked off that night.
I jumped up as I saw that John's head was covered and I mean covered with blood from the brutal attack to his face. Just then, Camille, John's fiancee, walked out and I asked her what I could do. She said, just get pictures, so I did.
I followed John to his car, snapping pictures on my phone and right to the car where they were arresting John and just kept snapping. I was asked to stop, to which I replied, that I was entitled to take pictures and was aware of my rights.
The officer got in my face and said, "Look, you need to get back on the side walk and if you so much take a foot off that sidewalk, you are going to jail." Well, damn, you don't have to tell me twice. I stayed on the sidewalk as I was told. John yelled over to me and asked me to go look for his wallet, which he was afraid had gotten lost in the bushes as he was he was areested. I went over to look and with another ally, got pictures of the puddle of blood on the sidewalk from John's head. I am not kidding when I say that the man lost, easily, 1/2 pint of blood or more. It was scary and completely horrific.
I ran back over to let Camille know that I had not found the wallet and that there was a lot of blood from John's head and that he really should get some medical help as soon as possible. Unfortunately, she had taken that fateful leap off the the sidewalk, a.k.a public thoroughfare, and as she was using my camera to take pictures, was now being hand-cuffed and taken to jail. I was appalled. What the hell... I grabbed my camera and started to take pictures of her as she was now being arrested.
I then decided to hand off my camera to keep it safe, since it seemed to be a point of contention. Then, the arresting officer came to me and said, you need to leave. So I began to make my way back to the Fourht Street Pub. As I was walking away, as requested, my back turned, AWAY FROM THE SCENE, I was pulled back by another officer and arrested.
Handcuffed and stuffed into a police car with Camille, with windows rolled up, no air flow at all.
WOW! When the officer came back to me, I was asked to step out of the car and stand on the yellow line. I asked the officer what I was being arrested and was told, in front of a witness, "I, I don't know, you will have ask the other officer." Not the one that was arresting me, which was him though, cause, well he didn't know.
Hours after my arrest and a sub-station, car ride, van ride, and jail cell later, I was told that I was arrested for disorderly conduct, failure to obey a police officer and an unknown statute, that is right, I said an unknown statute. They had no flipping idea what they arresting me for, just that I was being arrested for SOME misdemeaner, that I would have to appear for.
There is so much more, but the bottom line is this. I was arrested for no apparent reason, other than they did not want me to take pictures. They were threatened. And a good officer, as I am told by a retired and highly decorated former State Patrol, swat team Captain, would not have been threatened to have his behavior and actions recorded, or documented in any way.
I think to wrap up I will quote the screen saver on the monitor in the police cruiser I was put in for transport... "Don't catch me...ridin dirty...
So there you have it, now what do you think you would do and what should a community do to stop this kind of treatment being okay. I was appalled and truly, my life has been completely and totally changed by this event and my experience. I am asking you to show your support and please reply to start a conversation about this.
I am an educated human being and contributing member to society, and I was treated like a dog, perhaps even worse than a dog. What is an officer named as in a statute folks? A peace officer, and what are they given a badge to do? Serve and Protect. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
Innocent Until Proven Guilty?!?!?
Current mood: angry
Category: News and Politics
So last night, I was off work after a slightly stressful day. My job is pretty intense at times. I decided to go with a friend to grab a drink at the Fourth Street Pub and catch a bit of time on the patio with some other friends, when the storm started.
Suddenly, the bands that had been checking in their gear were in the alley that seperates the District from Fourth Street Pub and their were police officers everywhere.
Apparently the cops were towing the cars in the alley. Now we all know as musicians, you get your shit in and then you go park, especially on a Friday night downtown. But the band at the District had not done that and now were paying the price. The problem was that the bands that were loading in at the time were now getting towed too. Well here come the bar owners of both venues and they were not happy.
One owner, from the District came out to talk to the officers and it got, well, a little heated, or so it seemed. The next thing I know, as I sat and looked on, was that the District owner was trying to walk away from the officer and the officer was not done yet. The cop grabs John's arm, as John is trying to walk away and then, the cop yelled for back-up and then three officers proceeded to pummel, and I mean, pummel John to the ground. They proceeded to smash his head into the sidewalk and then get him to his feet and walk him to the middle of Central Avenue, which was blocked off that night.
I jumped up as I saw that John's head was covered and I mean covered with blood from the brutal attack to his face. Just then, Camille, John's fiancee, walked out and I asked her what I could do. She said, just get pictures, so I did.
I followed John to his car, snapping pictures on my phone and right to the car where they were arresting John and just kept snapping. I was asked to stop, to which I replied, that I was entitled to take pictures and was aware of my rights.
The officer got in my face and said, "Look, you need to get back on the side walk and if you so much take a foot off that sidewalk, you are going to jail." Well, damn, you don't have to tell me twice. I stayed on the sidewalk as I was told. John yelled over to me and asked me to go look for his wallet, which he was afraid had gotten lost in the bushes as he was he was areested. I went over to look and with another ally, got pictures of the puddle of blood on the sidewalk from John's head. I am not kidding when I say that the man lost, easily, 1/2 pint of blood or more. It was scary and completely horrific.
I ran back over to let Camille know that I had not found the wallet and that there was a lot of blood from John's head and that he really should get some medical help as soon as possible. Unfortunately, she had taken that fateful leap off the the sidewalk, a.k.a public thoroughfare, and as she was using my camera to take pictures, was now being hand-cuffed and taken to jail. I was appalled. What the hell... I grabbed my camera and started to take pictures of her as she was now being arrested.
I then decided to hand off my camera to keep it safe, since it seemed to be a point of contention. Then, the arresting officer came to me and said, you need to leave. So I began to make my way back to the Fourht Street Pub. As I was walking away, as requested, my back turned, AWAY FROM THE SCENE, I was pulled back by another officer and arrested.
Handcuffed and stuffed into a police car with Camille, with windows rolled up, no air flow at all.
WOW! When the officer came back to me, I was asked to step out of the car and stand on the yellow line. I asked the officer what I was being arrested and was told, in front of a witness, "I, I don't know, you will have ask the other officer." Not the one that was arresting me, which was him though, cause, well he didn't know.
Hours after my arrest and a sub-station, car ride, van ride, and jail cell later, I was told that I was arrested for disorderly conduct, failure to obey a police officer and an unknown statute, that is right, I said an unknown statute. They had no flipping idea what they arresting me for, just that I was being arrested for SOME misdemeaner, that I would have to appear for.
There is so much more, but the bottom line is this. I was arrested for no apparent reason, other than they did not want me to take pictures. They were threatened. And a good officer, as I am told by a retired and highly decorated former State Patrol, swat team Captain, would not have been threatened to have his behavior and actions recorded, or documented in any way.
I think to wrap up I will quote the screen saver on the monitor in the police cruiser I was put in for transport... "Don't catch me...ridin dirty...
So there you have it, now what do you think you would do and what should a community do to stop this kind of treatment being okay. I was appalled and truly, my life has been completely and totally changed by this event and my experience. I am asking you to show your support and please reply to start a conversation about this.
I am an educated human being and contributing member to society, and I was treated like a dog, perhaps even worse than a dog. What is an officer named as in a statute folks? A peace officer, and what are they given a badge to do? Serve and Protect. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?