Article from Reason by Joe Setyon.
A California cop gave a Marine veteran a concussion for nothing more than filming a traffic stop.
On January 22, Adrian Burrell was at his home in Vallejo, California, when he saw his cousin outside with his hands in the air. The cousin, Michael Walton, was standing next to his motorcycle with his back to a police officer. “He can’t hear you. He has his helmet on,” Burrell told the officer, according to the account he later gave to KGO. At that point, he says, the cop told him to go back in his house.
Instead, Burrell, who is a filmmaker, opted to record the incident. Even if he hadn’t been standing on his own private property, this would be within his rights. In California, citizens can film on-duty police officers as long as they aren’t interfering in their work. In this case, Burrell tells The San Francisco Chronicle, he was on his porch—more than 20 feet away from what was going on.
Video taken by Burrell and posted to Facebook yesterday shows what happened next:
I am a Black man born and raised in Oakland, California who was physically attacked by Vallejo PD officer David McLaughlin, last Tuesday. In researching my situation, I learned that Mclaughlin has been involved in lawsuits related to his brutality including the fatal shooting of on August 3rd, 2018. Mclaughlin grabbed me, smashed my face against the wall and then swung my body, knocking my head into a wooden pillar causing a concussion. He put handcuffs on my wrists so tight they broke the skin and caused my fingers to go numb. All while telling me “stop resisting” to my reply, “I’m not resisting.”I’m a Marine, and was honorably discharged when I completed my service. I have no convictions on my record; I'm not on parole or probation. I own my home, I was on the porch of this home when McLaughlin pulled his pistol on my cousin, saying my cousin looked like someone who he saw speeding earlier. My cousin was sitting on his motorcycle in front of my house. A gun had been pulled on him because he “looked like someone” the officer had seen speeding earlier. Obviously, the situation concerned me. From roughly 20 ft away, with a railing between myself and the officer, I started filming with my phone. You have the right to film a police officer in action as long as you’re not a threat or preventing him from doing his job. The officer told me to go in my house. I chose to stay on my porch and film because the situation was concerning. My camera panned and tilted, but I did not take one step off of the porch. At that point, officer Mclaughlin approached me as you see in the video. He said I was going to jail and detained me in the back seat of his car. Would I have gone to jail if I weren’t a vet with no criminal record? When the officer realized I am a Marine, he told me if I wasn’t a vet I’d be going to jail. Does that mean that if I had not been a vet, he would have put me in jail for not breaking the law? Because I am a vet, does that mean my life is more valuable? Military service does not warrant special treatment. Lack of military service does not justify mistreatment?Why holster your gun to come put your hands on me, if my cousin and I are a threat?This unfortunate circumstance put me in a situation where if I was to defend myself, then I would have been a hashtag. Or worse, my death would have been ignored or excused on the premise of Mcglaughlin’s irrational fear.Officer McLaughlin should not be allowed to continue abusing his power.This is a true story and I feel it's my responsibility to share it.Police need better training on implicit bias. They need tougher disciplinary actions taken when patterns of misconduct become frequent and are being reported from multiple sources.#Share #repostfamilyandfriends
Posted by Adrian Burrell on Thursday, January 31, 2019
Read the entire article at Reason.
Image Credit: By Jamelle Bouie [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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After watching the video that so-called police officer should not only be fired from the force but indicted for criminal battery. His actions were a disgrace and requires the maximum penalty.
This is the Ram’s-safety-helmet-planting-into-the-Saints-receiver-before-the-ball-reache- the-receiver-to-be- certain-the-ball-was-not-caught…scenario
Incidents such as this and even worse happen far too often. Once is one time too many.
I would like to see the officer’s footage before casting an opinion. You never know what else happened. From this little bit, it appears the cop was in the wrong. What else went on?
It’s Cali. so that says it all!
So this is the good cop sensitive people that we hear so much about I’m for the police but I tell you they should deal with this bump
He should be dealt with harshly. Make an example out of him. There’s absolutely no excuse for what he did.
INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY! Let’ not be like the progressives. Give the policeman his right of a trial his right to face his accuser, just like the guy on the bike getting a fair trial for whatever it is that he was being chased down for. Enough of this trial by media, of course this video is evidence, so use it as such. If needed, then sue the cop.
Calling liberals progressives, not cool. But I do agree with the rest of what you said.
Liberals are names of many colors and that includes “PROGRESSIVES” with a negative connotation. As far as “cops” go, many (and I mean many) become a “cop” because they are already a criminal or they are too lazy to get a job that requires them to do some actual WORK. Whatever you do don’t interrupt their coffee and doughnuts. Ever wonder why when an officer stops someone for an infraction of the law that the cops seem to come out of the woodwork? In their so-called day of duty they don’t have very much to do except to look for some “action.” Probably “bored” to death. Thus they become “looky-lous.” They just have to go to any action that gives them something to do and insert themselves into situations that could be handled by the single cop or with his partner. The pay is very high for them if you consider how little work they really do. Another thing that really puffs up their ego is the wearing of their uniform…nice unwrinkled freshly pressed and ready for doughnut sprinkles. This seems to make them feel more important than the average Joe Blow citizen. What better place to be (other than a congressman/woman) than in law enforcement if you are a criminal or have those tendencies. If only the general public only knew. They would be totally alarmed.
That’s the reason I call them “PIGS”!!!!
@ Mark B. Your 100% in that. We are a nation of the law. And all deserve to be innocent until proven guilty. And far to often the video don’t tell the whole story and peoplerush to judgement. That’s mob mentality and one step away from anarchy. If he is found guilty then a harsh punishment is not just a good idea but absolutely necessary.