This went down last weekend in Berkeley. According to the students and an eye witness they were walking down the street when police pulled them over claiming one was jaywalking.. They attempted to arrest one of the students.. which set off a heated exchange.. Cops called for back up and the next thing you know 5 arrived on the scene and students were arrested. A Townhall is going down this Saturday between 2-5pm at Berkeley Library 1901 Russell Street around the incident
Some seeing this are asking why were the students outraged, talking loud and cursing?? The question we should ask is why were they stopped? With all that’s going on in the Bay Area why are students being stopped, detained and arrested for jay walking on a residential street? Its called profiling and the ‘crime’ of jay walking was used as an excuse to stop folks..
Here’s what Rasheed Shabazz, journalist for the UC based Onyx Express who has been following this story wrote:
Police arrested Jevon Cochran and LaTasha Pollard after allegedly stopping their group for jaywalking. After crossing the Dana Street, an officer rapidly approached and handcuffed Cochran, he said.
Cochran’s friends, Kerby Lynch, Eric-Michael Wilson, and Pollard began recording photographs and video with their cell phones. Police ordered Wilson and Pollard to back up to the sidewalk.
As seen in the video, while Cochran is handcuffed, a friend, Wilson, can be heard in the video telling the officer, “Promise me you’re not going to shoot him” and that the officers were trying to fulfill a “quota.”
An officer attempts to grab Pollard’s hand while she is recording the officer. “Don’t touch me,” she says while stepping backward, continuing to record.
An additional squad car then arrives. A female witness on the video tells the arriving officer “They were just walking down the street and he seemed like he targeted them.” She adds, “They weren’t doing anything wrong.”
Peep the entire article at: http://onyxexpress.org/2014/05/05/berkeley-police-racially-profile-attack-black-uc-graduates/#sthash.qW0M8lG1.dpbs
Berkeley Police profiled, attacked and arrested two Black UC Berkeley graduates on Friday night, according to students and a Youtube video posted online.
Police arrested Jevon Cochran and LaTasha Pollard after allegedly stopping their group for jaywalking. After crossing the Dana Street, an officer rapidly approached and handcuffed Cochran, he said.
Cochran’s friends, Kerby Lynch, Eric-Michael Wilson, and Pollard began recording photographs and video with their cell phones. Police ordered Wilson and Pollard to back up to the sidewalk.
As seen in the video, while Cochran is handcuffed, a friend, Wilson, can be heard in the video telling the officer, “Promise me you’re not going to shoot him” and that the officers were trying to fulfill a “quota.”
An officer attempts to grab Pollard’s hand while she is recording the officer. “Don’t touch me,” she says while stepping backward, continuing to record.
An additional squad car then arrives. A female witness on the video tells the arriving officer “They were just walking down the street and he seemed like he targeted them.” She adds, “They weren’t doing anything wrong.”
At 3:52 in the video, two officers rush Pollard. Although the video is dark, her white shirt can be seen flying to the ground as they tackle and slam her into the bushes. Pollard is heard crying out, “What are you touching me for?” and wailing, “I didn’t do anything” and “Help me!” Pollard is handcuffed and dragged to a police car.
Eventually, five officers arrive at the scene.
Cochran was charged with resisting arrest. Pollard was charged with obstruction of justice. According to Cochran, police charged neither with jaywalking. The two were detained for an hour and taking to Berkeley Police headquarters. Pollard also visited the hospital for pain in her wrist and arms from the arrest and shackling.
– See more at: http://onyxexpress.org/2014/05/05/berkeley-police-racially-profile-attack-black-uc-graduates/#sthash.qW0M8lG1.dpuf
Berkeley Police profiled, attacked and arrested two Black UC Berkeley graduates on Friday night, according to students and a Youtube video posted online.
Police arrested Jevon Cochran and LaTasha Pollard after allegedly stopping their group for jaywalking. After crossing the Dana Street, an officer rapidly approached and handcuffed Cochran, he said.
Cochran’s friends, Kerby Lynch, Eric-Michael Wilson, and Pollard began recording photographs and video with their cell phones. Police ordered Wilson and Pollard to back up to the sidewalk.
As seen in the video, while Cochran is handcuffed, a friend, Wilson, can be heard in the video telling the officer, “Promise me you’re not going to shoot him” and that the officers were trying to fulfill a “quota.”
An officer attempts to grab Pollard’s hand while she is recording the officer. “Don’t touch me,” she says while stepping backward, continuing to record.
An additional squad car then arrives. A female witness on the video tells the arriving officer “They were just walking down the street and he seemed like he targeted them.” She adds, “They weren’t doing anything wrong.”
At 3:52 in the video, two officers rush Pollard. Although the video is dark, her white shirt can be seen flying to the ground as they tackle and slam her into the bushes. Pollard is heard crying out, “What are you touching me for?” and wailing, “I didn’t do anything” and “Help me!” Pollard is handcuffed and dragged to a police car.
Eventually, five officers arrive at the scene.
Cochran was charged with resisting arrest. Pollard was charged with obstruction of justice. According to Cochran, police charged neither with jaywalking. The two were detained for an hour and taking to Berkeley Police headquarters. Pollard also visited the hospital for pain in her wrist and arms from the arrest and shackling.
– See more at: http://onyxexpress.org/2014/05/05/berkeley-police-racially-profile-attack-black-uc-graduates/#sthash.qW0M8lG1.dpuf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTY8wwRJSys
For those who think this is isolated and an aberration, here’s what happened the same weekend up in santa Rosa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGWNq8aaKBI
SHUT UP PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN AND SHOW YOUR ID ; THEN MOVE ON.
BAITING AND SWEARING AND ANTAGONIZING OFFICERS IS WHAT I SEE.
PUNK ASS STUDENTS WHO THINK THEIR SMARTER THAN EVERYONE.
It’s dangerous to put your phone down in a world like today. It could literally mean a matter or life or death; of justice or another cop getting off the hook with murder because there was no evidence. Even then, it’s not fullproof but Copwatching is one of the few tools that the community has to protect themselves against police brutality. So yeah, it was a smart move.
Weak ass attempt of trying to play a victim or some sort of race suit.
Manufactured cry baby drama ; students should all enter better acting classes.
Makes black people look like cry babies ; and the stupid ass white boy standing there too.
Chris Dorner, where are you when we need you….
What we fail to understand is that you have every right to go about your business in peace. But some of you believe no matter what the situation is you should just do what you’re told to do by the police. There are laws and there are rules but the police seem to be the only ones that do not have to follow any laws or any rules. You may not agree with these young people’s reaction to this situation but I have walked in their shoes and I understand how they were feeling. There has to be some form of professionalism by are sworn police officers but that’s just not the case because they stop them for walking down the street because they were black. Yes people because they were black. You also in the tape here the police officer tell the young lady to put her beer down when he knows damn well that she does not have a beer in her hand but this is the setup the police are going to lie they always lie. The police did not care that they were students or that they were minding their own business the only thing that they saw were some black young people so let’s FUCK with them. But here’s the problem some of you who are not black will never understand this. For someone like me who has never been arrested, who has never done a crime, who has never done drugs and who does not drink alcohol I’ve been stopped or detained by police over 50 times. I have only received three driving tickets in 33 years of legally driving and only one of those tickets was legitimate. So why was I stopped or detained more than 50 times in my lifetime if I’m not a bad guy? Well I’m not a bad guy but I am black. So the reaction of these young people in time will get better but the emotions and feelings of disrespect will remain the same. Thanks Davey for keeping us informed! Power To The People!