California Police Arrested Black Man Because He Was Dancing in the Street

[babylonsister]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/alameda-california-police-arrested-black-man-mali-watkins-for-dancing-in-the-street?ref=home

California Police Arrested Black Man Because He Was Dancing in the Street
Madeline Charbonneau, Cheat Sheet Intern
Published Jun. 09, 2020 10:45AM ET
Andrew Burton/Getty

A black man in Alameda, California who was dancing in the street was pinned to the ground and arrested after police were called. The May 23 arrest was caught on a police bodycam. Police attended the scene after a woman called and said “an African-American man is dancing in the street and clearly something is wrong with him.” The man who was arrested, Mali Watkins, said he was dancing to exercise.

The bodycam videos show Watkins walk away after police questioned him. The police then grabbed his wrists and pushed him to the ground to handcuff him. Watkins asked why the police were touching him, and police said he was resisting arrest. A City of Alameda spokesperson said Watkins was arrested and cited for resisting arrest. The city’s Vice Mayor John Knox condemned the incident, and is calling for an independent investigation.

[angstlessk]

1. How in the hell can resisting arrest be the only charge?

Why was he being arrested in the first place?

[sop]

6. Seems obvious. If there's no apparent reason to arrest someone, how can someone resist arrest?

It sounds like this is a case of false arrest, false imprisonment or wrongful arrest: when police wrongfully hold a suspect against his will or take a suspect into custody.

[Turbineguy]

2. Resisting Arrest

a bogus charge if there ever was one.

How a bout a Tee-shirt with "I Like Getting Arrested. I'm Kinky That Way!"

[TreadSoftly]

3. Ok so turning your back on police is not only dangerous, it's a crime

Creeps. Why only the vice mayor talking, and why calling for others -- isn't he their boss?

[Croney]

4. Why do these jerks specify the race of the person they're calling about!

If it was a white man, she'd have assumed he was singing along to The Mamas and the Papas.

[frazzled]

5. Dancing in the Streets used to be very popular

and uncontested. It was a big sensation across the nation.

[chowder66]

7. Something needs to change with the resisting arrest abuse

They twist arms that cause the body to react to pain and then deem it resistance as if the person flinching is doing so on purpose.

This has sickened me for a long time and it needs to be part of the reform.

[dalton99a]

8. +1