The Threat of the Police

Photo by Clay Banks

Sparked by George Floyd’s murder and the subsequent global uprising, some of the unjust and discriminatory practices of the police have been illuminated. News stories such as that of Amy Cooper in Central Park, are finally holding the public’s attention. These stories demonstrate the unchecked power that the police (or threat of the police) can wield against Black people, even when they are doing nothing wrong. Here is a story from one of our attorneys in such a case: 
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"Recently, I had a case in which my client was sitting in his vehicle, minding his own business, not offending any law. Nearby, an officer was doing traffic duty at one of the parking garages during rush hour.  A person complained to the officer that my client was violating a traffic law and the officer went over to my client. Within 12 seconds of approaching my client the officer was attempting to physically pull him out of the vehicle. During the altercation, my client remained calm - as calm as someone can be when they think an officer is about to kill them. After this unjust encounter, my client was charged with Obstructing Legal Process. Thankfully the case was dismissed by the prosecution after the defense filed a motion to dismiss. However, this is yet another case where a Black man was not doing anything wrong and had an interaction with a police officer which ended in him receiving charges."