Was a Seattle police stop of two African
American men in February just a coincidence or, as some are suggesting,
"retaliation" for the publicity surrounding a previous stop.
The NAACP says it wants answers from
Seattle Police.
In February of this year, KOMO-TV aired a report about the arrest of Josh Lawson and Christopher
Franklin, both in their 20's, as alleged suspects in an assault. They were
booked, but then released and charges were never filed. On dashboard camera
video, obtained through a public records request, you can hear a police officer
telling Franklin he can just "make up charges."
Lawson and are now represented by attorneys
who have notified the city of Seattle that they plan to sue.
Just a week after the KOMO-TV story went
viral and the notice of suit was filed, Lawson and Franklin were again stopped
by Seattle police.
At a news conference in Seattle, Josh
described the late night stop. He says he was looking in his rearview mirror
and saw a line of police cars with lights flashing. He pulled over. He says he
and his friends were held at gunpoint and their car was searched.
"It was unreal. It was frightening to
know that that force with all those guns were around me. I could barely think.
I had butterflies that lasted longer than it should last in any man," he
said.
James Bible, attorney and former NAACP
President a, says he sees this sort of thing happen to young black men all the
time, noting that Lawson and Franklin were released following the stop and
search.
"There was no ticket issued, no
infraction, no charge, it was just harassment and humiliation," he said.
The difference in this case, says Bible, is
that these two men had just been featured in a high profile story about police
misconduct.
"It's either a horrible coincidence or
a horrible retaliation," he said.
Attorneys for Lawson and Franklin are
seeking the dashboard camera video from the latest police stop, which happened
on February 19. They say the city of Seattle has continually put them off
saying they need more time to retrieve the material.
Sean Whitcomb, Seattle Police spokesman,
declined to comment on the NAACP press conference because of the claim filed
against the city.
Had
enough? Write to the Speaker of the
House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and
demand federal hearings into the police problem in America. Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike
rule on abuse, and a permanent DOJ
office on Police Misconduct.