It has been one week today since my experience with police
violence and brutality here in Greensboro, NC.
Upon reflection, and in light of what is happening nationally, I feel
compelled to share my experience to increase awareness of police violence and
a corrupt criminal justice system. Since
9/11 and the recent wars in the Middle East our police departments and officers
have become militarized in their equipment and tactics, and as a result, have
turned their departments into bases, and see their brothers and sisters as
enemies. Police departments have become less and less unaccountable to the
public for which they have been charged to protect and serve. My own experience
uncomfortably reminded me of war tactics I learned when I was a Marine serving
in Iraq. I could sense those officers’
internal rage that night. It is ending
the war-mind culture permeating in our policing system that needs our
attention. It is ending the discriminatory practices by local, state, and
federal law enforcement in targeting our less fortunate brothers and sisters
and feeding them, like food, into an economic driven, humanity-deficient, privatized
penitentiary system. The problem is not
about the good officers in a bad culture, but, rather those bad officers who
are running the culture, and the good officers who are doing little to change
it. It has taken a small town in the middle of country to awaken our senses to
the truth that something is not right about seeing a lifeless body lying in the
street, having learned that the body baked in the sun for 4 hours, without the
slightest concern for covering the body up by on-looking police and a
frightened citizenry. And that something
is not right about seeing armored vehicles and military-equipped police-persons on our televisions in the land of the leadership of the free world. We should not
turn a blind eye to the terrible situation we find ourselves in with an
ill-cultured, and corrupt police system, but, rather, open our eyes to the
possibility of real change. Sharing my
experience I feel is one small act I can do to incite real change.
If you are reading
this and have yourself been a victim of police violence understand that you did
not deserve what happened to you. Understand that you should not feel guilty
about what happened to you. You deserve better, and together we can do better
by using our minds and bodies to combat this injustice.
Fear and apathy are two major challenges that we face
internally and externally in confronting the issue of police violence and
corruption in our communities and nationally. I can tell you police violence and corruption
is not a new thing, but an old one resurfacing.
Ask your black and brown brothers and sisters about that. And it is not something that is going to just
go away once the news media decides that they should bring our attention back
to Russia’s sanctions on American meat products, or West African countries
fight with the Ebola virus, or some celebrity break-up, or who is slotted to
win the Super bowl this year. Like all
truths, this one will be waiting for us, immutable, until we give it the care it
deserves. It was only a matter of time that police violence and corruption that
has been happening for decades against poor black and brown communities would
be seen for what it was to upper classes of our society.
I am not sharing my experience to shine a light on me, but,
to cast a light on those who have not yet mustered the courage to share their own
experiences with police violence, and for those whose lives were unjustly taken
because of police violence and because of a corrupt police culture. I am sharing
my experience in solidarity with fallen citizens like Johnathon Ferrell of
Charlotte, North Carolina who was
unarmed and fatally shot 12 times after seeking help from neighbors after he
had just gotten into a car accident, and
in solidarity with Devin Scales and his brother here in Greensboro who were
walking down an unpaved road and was targeted by the police; Devin was able to
capture the violence and brutality by a Greensboro police officer on video, and
in solidarity with Keith Vidal of Brunswick County, North Carolina, an 18 year
old kid who weighed 100 pounds, was tased and subdued by two police officers,
assisted by Vidal’s father, and just before the cop fatally shot Keith in the
chest he said, “We don’t have time for this.” I am sharing my experience with those who are
slowly waking up to the fact that police is real and it is happening every day.
At the least I hope that after reading
my experience some of you will begin asking yourself what you can do to combat,
or buffer your own communities against police violence and corruption. Freedom
is neither an unalienable right, nor free; it comes with a price. This is our story:
The following section is not when my assault happened, but I do
wish to provide some context leading up to my assault. It was Sunday evening around 10 pm, August 18th,
and a few friends and I gathered in downtown Greensboro for a night of fun
after an exciting day filled with shooting photographs, eating good take out, listening
and dancing to popular music videos. Our first stop was in a venue on the main
drag; Elm Street. The venue was rather uneventful so I suggested we check out a
more popular spot one street over named Green Street club. As we were approaching Green Street I noticed
a few police vehicles parked out along the curb in front of the venue, and
about 8 officers gathered around the vehicles on the street. I hadn’t thought
about it much, but pretty much everywhere you see a large number of American
blacks gathered, there will also be police in the vicinity. Not surprising, the
same is true even in California. It is just a reality. Having a friend that
works for the venue, I knew beforehand that Green Street on Sunday nights was
largely attended by American black people, although diverse, and is an LGBT
event. The sad reality in the South is
that spaces are still largely segregated, but even living on the west coast
revealed a similar situation. My friends and I breezed through the entrance
since there was no line. Once inside we made our way up a few flight of stairs to
the roof top floor to try and catch what little breeze we could on a pretty humid
night. The top floor is considered the white section. The DJ was playing house
music and top 40 club remixes. At first we stood together huddled, but it was
no time before we were pulled in a few different directions by acquaintances
that wanted to chat it up. I eventually
scooted away and made my way over to the bar for a bourbon. Our group eventually rejoined and agreed that
we could check out the main floor downstairs, and dance a little. The main floor on the first floor is
considered to be the black section. There the DJ is playing popular music by
popular rap artists. We were having a great time.
Around 1:30 am when passing through the lobby and noticed my
friends gathered outside on the sidewalk. I assumed that was my cue that
everyone was ready to leave so I joined them.
After I joined my friends outside I was informed that one of the guys in
our group was asked to leave because someone from the staff saw him handing out
flyers for another venue. I thought, fair enough, I can see the conflict of
interest, not to mention, the night was nearly over. No big deal I thought. Within
a minute after I joined my friends outside a guy advanced toward us from our
right and yelled out that our friend who was seen handing out flyers was banned
from coming back to the venue. I remember thinking that seems overt. Who was
this guy anyway? Having worked in the service industry for some years myself, a
reasonable response I felt would have been a request to stop passing out flyers
and at worst being asked to leave. After
his announcement I became aware of the guy’s aggressive demeanor. He went on to
ban a couple of other friends in our group and eventually banning all of us.
Kind of shocked now, I asked him, “Hey, why are you banning all of us, when
only one of us was asked to leave? He
said, "Because I can ban whoever I want to." I later found out that
the guy was an owner of Green Street, and had strife with the venue where we
had come from. The flyers were for that venue. I am sure our friend was unaware
of the rivalry.
It is at this point in the story where my assault began. It was almost immediately after the owner banned
us from his venue when I heard a voice over my left shoulder demanding to see
my ID. I turned around to see a cop
standing uncomfortably close to me with an outstretched hand. Regaining my bearing and mustering military
protocol I looked down at the officer’s badge and said, “Officer Scarborough, why
do you need to see my ID?” He did not answer
me instead he demanded to see my ID. I
then asked, “Why are you requesting to see my ID. What is the reason?” I noticed that the group of officers from the
street were advancing toward me and one officer echoed Officer Scarborough in
asking me to hand over my ID.
My mind became flooded with questions, but I knew that
surrendering my ID to a police officer without a reasonable cause was within my
rights. Was I being detained? Was I under arrest? Was I suspected of committing
a crime? Was I associated with a crime that I was unaware of? Why was an official pushing for me to
surrender my ID? At this point I was not only shocked, but a scared honestly,
especially seeing out of the corner of my eye the other officers advancing
toward me. However, I stood my ground and asked the officer again why he wanted
me to surrender my identification. After
about the third request I made Officer Scarborough told me that because I was
just banned from the club and on private property that he would have to enter
my information into the system. I thought, so I was trespassing on private
property? Is the sidewalk considered private or public property? Why could not
I have been given an opportunity to leave if I was trespassing on “private
property”? At the same time Officer Scarborough gave me the reason for his
demand he gestured toward an industrial laptop sitting on the trunk of one of
the police vehicles parked on the street. Was that the system I was to be put into, the police
department’s system? My friends and I were banned from a venue, on the sidewalk
and now my information was about to be entered into the police department’s
system? Is not that the essence of…profiling?
I remember feeling trapped and just wanting to leave, but I was faced with the obstacle
of a group of officers surrounding me. I remember thinking where was the owner,
and why was I getting singled out, while my other friends were still standing
huddled behind me?
Out of nowhere Officer Scarborough grabbed my left forearm,
and pulled out his handcuffs. Maintaining
a calm and professional demeanor I remember asking Officer Scarborough was he
placing me under arrest. He said I was; and I asked him why. Officer Scarborough, or it may have been another
officer, said that I was obstructing an investigation. Obstructing an
investigation? What investigation? Does an investigation begin with putting a citizen’s
ID information into a police department’s system? I requested to take a moment to speak with an
attorney, but my request was not acknowledged. I asked about my Miranda Rights,
but that was ignored too (When I was handcuffed at the station one officer informed
me that if when arrested your Miranda Rights are not recited to you, what you
say cannot be used against you in a trial. This means we no longer have a
constitutional or even formal right to remain silent). In an instant, no less than four officers,
maybe five even, were slamming my face and chest onto the trunk of a police
vehicle. One officer twisted my arm in a way that has left it sore for nearly a
week. The point of impact was so forceful that my hat flew off of my head and
onto the top of the vehicle. I can remember thinking was this kind of reaction
necessary and appropriate? I was startled that after I was handcuffed I could still feel the weight of a few officers
on me. One officer even put me in a chokehold after I handcuffed; was that
necessary? I later identified that officer as Officer F. T. Wright. The first officer’s name is R. D.
Scarborough. Still in a chokehold I was
thrown in the back seat of a police vehicle. When I was in the vehicle I was
able to reach my cellphone that was attached to my pants in a hip carrier. I pulled it out and began to locate the
number for an attorney. An officer
opened the door and snatched my phone from my hand. While in the back seat of the police vehicle my
head was ringing probably due to the temporary loss of oxygen to my brain as a
result of the chokehold I was put in.
I was taken down to the police station where I was handcuffed
to a bench. Officer Wright came over to ask me a few questions, but I was still
in shock and disoriented. I do remember
him saying, “All you had to do was just show him your ID.” I noticed Officer Wright’s hands were shaking
(An admission to guilt?) as he scribbled down my address before taking it over
to the magistrate’s desk. A different officer came over and returned my phone
to me. It was at this moment I snapped the “hand-cuff selfie” you can check
out here. It was soon after that I was released and given a court date. My charge: Resisting an officer of the law by
not surrendering my ID while he was conducting an investigation.
Since my experience that night, a week ago today, I have
sought counsel on the matter, and will be hiring an attorney this week. Although I have not decided to take it to trial,
something inside of me is pushing me to do it. I will keep you updated.
I feel that it is important to state too that I do not have
the “I hate the pigs” sort of mentality. Prior to my assault I have not had an
encounter like this before. I do not
have a criminal record, well, until now. Quite a few of my military buddies serve with
local police departments in the region and as State Patrol officers. In a lot
of ways I know how cops operate because of my own military experience. I
understand the tedious and stressful task it is to discern what tactics to use
when apprehending individuals. I had to commit similar tactics to memory when I
served in Iraq. One slip up could have cost me my life and the lives of others.
I wonder what really triggered
the aggressiveness of Officer Scarborough and the other officers that night.
Was it because I was an informed citizen, who knew something about his rights so
the officers allowed their angst to get the better of them? And I cannot
dismiss the possibility of how my race and/or my sexual orientation may have
played a role in shaping the events of that night. Was I assaulted because I was a well-dressed,
and articulate American black man who they thought was being “uppity”? Or was
it because I was attending a LGBT event in a state that is known for rampant
homophobia from the church to the congress? There was not an officer in the
group that was a person of color that night. I cannot help but wonder how these
officers perceived the crowd they were charged to police?
I am aware of how things should have gone differently that
night. I question what was going through
Officer Scarborough’s mind that night. It could reveal some hard truths as to why
police violence happens, and why we are hearing more and more about unarmed
citizens being killed by the hands of police. In Officer Scarborough’s mind he
was an already decided judge before he approached me. In Officer Scarborough’s mind he was the
judge, the jury, the prosecutor, and the executor over my person. Officer
Scarborough never thought he would have to reason with an informed citizen that
night. Even before Officer Scarborough approached
me, in his mind, I was already guilty. I had already committed a crime. I was a criminal. Officer Scarborough was
just playing out, in real time, the sequence of events that is ingrained in his
mind. Officer Scarborough was not conducting an investigation when he first
asked for my ID. His intentions were clear. He wanted to put my information into
the police department’s system. It begs the question: why?
An investigation of the situation outside of the venue that
night should have begun with a call for assistance from the owner or someone
else. No one called over Officer Scarborough that night. If assistance was requested Officer Scarborough
should have approached my friends and I, or the owner, ready to assist. If
addressing me, Officer Scarborough should have asked what was going on, and not
just demanded my ID. I would have
explained my side of the situation. Officer Scarborough should have taken my
story down on pen and pad and if necessary, the stories of some of my friends. Officer Scarborough should have then found the
owner and asked him some questions about what was going on. In an investigation Officer Scarborough should
have gained an awareness of the situation, and then if necessary maybe asked to
see our IDs, if there was reasonable suspicion.
Either way, Officer Scarborough should have suggested my friends and I
head home before the crowd let out. We
would have agreed. My friends and I would have started walking toward our cars
while joking about our buddy about getting banned, and how ridiculous it was
that all of us were banned from the venue. We would have hung out on the city
block for a few more minutes recapping our night. We would have shaken hands
and given each other hugs and then headed for our cars. It could have been a night to remember. But
now it is a nightmare off Elm Street to forget.
My experience that night made me realize something. I realized that it was not enough to just
discuss issues about police violence and corruption on social media, and with
friends, and pray about it. I realized I
needed to create real action that will begin to break down an ill police
culture. This is why I have begun a
movement called #GREENSBORO4JUSTICE. #GREENSBORO4JUSTICE is a blogspot and a
grassroots movement that focuses on bringing awareness to and educating the
community about police violence. The goals for #GREENSBORO4JUSTICE are easy we
want to educate the community about police violence, empower the community by
executing campaign projects that work to put an end police violence in our
communities, and work with local lawmakers to begin reforming the criminal
justice system. Blogging my experience with police violence is the soft launch
of the movement. Follow the movement and the progress of the
campaigns where ever you see #greensboro4justice. We are in the building stages
now, and have not fully launched the movement. The movement already has a few
dedicated people behind it. This means we need your help. If you feel
passionate or are curious about ending police violence in your community, city
and state even nationally, and reforming the criminal justice system please
reach out to me.
#greensboro4justice
