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#BlackLivesMatter

Defending the police and their policing is so 20th century. We are in the 21st century when you should know better. How many times have the police investigated themselves and uncovered their lies, only to determine that there was no wrong doing. This violence is unacceptable. We can do better and so we should. I swear, some people are living in a fantasy land, while the rest of us are going crazy listening to the indefensible being portrayed as noble. My biggest fear is that those who defend this make up a large portion of this country, and they have a right to do so, and that’s why injustices will continue. Things will change at a snails pace because we treat these people as though they are harmless, and we have leaders who put them on stages and amplify their voices, and persuade everyone that it’s light out at night, and dark in the day. People’s lives will be altered forever, people will die, and all of it is due to this country’s inability to acknowledge and hold accountable those perpetuating white supremacy.

ROCKFORD, Mich. — A little over two years ago, Thurman King was on his way home from work when a cop started to follow him.

Within a matter of minutes, King would be thrown to the ground by police, handcuffed and eventually taken to jail on charges that a prosecuting attorney would dismiss "in the interest of justice," months later.

"All it takes is a falsified police report and you find yourself in essence fighting for your life," King, 55, said.

"It affects you financially, emotionally... it shouldn't happen to anybody."

King, who is Black, was arrested in the driveway of his home in Rockford, a predominately white suburb.

Officer Zachary Abbate said he was pulling King over for his license plate light being out and and for running a stop sign, but Abbate's dash camera video showed King stop.

Attorney Stephen Drew said incidents like this "generally don't happen in a vacuum."

Drew filed a federal lawsuit on King's behalf last month against the city, its police department and the two officers who arrested him.

"It's very troubling that an officer is willing to put in writing in a police report something that by video evidence is absolutely false," Drew said.

"That can be due to a culture, and if it is due to the culture of the Rockford Police Department, then we would expect some accountability, but we'll just have to see."Rockford officers falsely arrested and unlawfully jailed King stemming from an unlawful traffic stop. The city and police department are named for their allowance of "improper stops and stops based on racial profiling," among other things.

The city declined an interview



The traffic stop

It was nearly 11 p.m. on March 20, 2019, as King made the drive home from work.

Abbate, who is white, followed him for several blocks, which can be seen in his dash camera video.

"As I approached my home, he activated his lights. So, I immediately became concerned because I knew I hadn't done anything wrong," King said.

King pulled into his driveway, fearful of the officers intent.

"I wanted to get somewhere safe," he said.

King said one of the first things Abbate said was that he knew who King was. When Abbate said he was pulling King over for not stopping at the stop sign, King said he became more fearful.

"I know I hadn't run the stop sign, and so I'm extra scared now. So, I started calling for my fiancée, in the house, you know, yelling for her," King recalls.

"Within seconds, I'm on the ground."

Video shows Abbate force King to the ground. A second officer, Jason Bradley, cannot be seen on camera, but according to the lawsuit, both officers detained King.

At several points King tells the officers "I can't breathe," to which one replies, "if you're talking, you're breathing, pal."

King was unable to speak to his fiancé before he was taken to jail, where he'd spend the next 14 hours. According to the lawsuit, King had multiple injuries from the officers, including to his head and He faced three charges, including a felony for resisting and obstructing an officer.

"They built up some charges to justify the lie that [Abbate] told to stop him in the first place," Drew said. "That needs to be addressed."

'Constant reminders'

Several months later, a Kent County prosecuting attorney dismissed all the charges against King after reviewing the evidence. "After he had been put in jail for 14 hours. After he had to hire an attorney. After he had to go through all of that and the embarrassment, the mug shots," Drew said.

King says what he went through that night continues to impact him. The arrest in some ways took away his dignity, he said.

"It has taken its toll on me, but by the grace of God, I'm still standing," King said.

King says hearing about the deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright at the hands of Minnesota police officers, instantly causes him to relive his arrest.

He changed his work hours to avoid driving home at night.

The Leadership in Rockford Michigan has made it clear from the statements made to MLive that it supports the actions of 2 officers that violently and unlawfully arrested a innocent black man on his way home from work.

Not only did the officers arrest Mr. King illegally, they then falsified police reports committing a felonious act. Fortunately the police officers dash camera recorded this unlawful and violent attack against Mr. King and the prosecutor dismissed all charges against Mr. king (for the sake of justice)Dash camera showed the officers had fabricated the reason for the stop and lied on the official police report. A law suit has been filed with western district court on Mr.Kings behalf. We can not allow our community to be terrorized by our elected leaders and the police.

The recent public comments made by City leaders defending these officers horrible actions are unacceptable by anyone’s standards. We would like to call on City Council members Edward Ross, Tammy Bergstrom, Terry Konkle, Cheryl Scales and Dale Dalman to do what they were elected to do. It’s time for change. It’s time for justice. The leadership and Police in Rockford Michigan Have terrorized our community long enough. We demand our leaders and police to be accountable and responsible. We ask that Chief of Police David Robinson and City Manager Thad Beard be terminated and new leadership found Immediately. We Demand Criminal charges be brought against the two officers involved in the King incident. We also ask that there is a full investigation into the Rockford Department Of Public Safety.



https://www.wzzm13.com/amp/article/news/rockford-police-sued-for-unlawfully-arresting-jailing-resident-after-traffic-stop/69-e215d4eb-1689-427b-b4ad-98bad06659bf