Charge dropped against Black man walking on icy Texas street

[RandySF]

PLANO, Texas (AP) — A misdemeanor charge has been dropped against a Black man who was arrested last week for walking home on a street during a snowstorm in Texas.

Rodney Reese, 18, was arrested Feb. 16 in Plano and charged with being a pedestrian in the roadway, news outlets reported.

Police said officers received a call about a Black man seen stumbling along in the middle of the snowy street wearing a short-sleeved shirt and were sent to perform a wellness check.

Police released body camera footage of the encounter on Facebook on Friday. In the video, police are seen following Reese and repeatedly asking him where he is going and if he was OK, to which he replies that he is fine and he is on his way home.

Reese told KDFW-TV that he was walking home from his job at a Walmart and didn't stop for the officers because he didn't need their help.

Officers continued to follow Reese for about two minutes before stopping him, telling him they were “doing an investigation” and informing him that he was being detained.

Reese replied “no” and continued walking, but was stopped again. In the video, a brief scuffle is seen as officers attempted to handcuff Reese, who can be heard asking to be released.



https://www.chron.com/news/article/Texas-storm-Abbott-Rodney-Reese-arrested-jaywalk-15969000.php

[elleng]

1. 'charged with being a pedestrian in the roadway,'

well, isn't that nice, they let him live.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. And he was moving. They couldn't get him on loitering.

[Demovictory9]

3. walking while black

[Karadeniz]

4. They should have offered him a ride.

[betsuni]

5. Of course a person would want to walk in the street where it's been cleared

or at least less icy than other places.

[stopdiggin]

6. LE informs "being detained"

subject says "no" and continues walking. Is that an option?

[Voltaire2]

9. Yes.

[stopdiggin]

12. To be clear, it is different to argue a claim

that the stop shouldn't be made (a point the police chief completely agreed with) -- to go on to a right to walk away from a 'detained' status.

One of the first things the ACLU, defense attorneys, or any social justice organization teaches is:
"Am I being detained?" Am I free to leave?"

Pretending that the answers to those questions are not important, or don't count -- is really counterproductive.

[Voltaire2]

14. You asked if ignoring these jackasses was an option.

Of course it was. The jackasses were likely to get physical, because they generally demand obedience, even when they are being obvious jackasses. But noncompliance is always an option.

It was and is an option. Perhaps not a good option. As he was already in the “we are going to make your life miserable” phase of police encounters with POC, it wasn’t really going to do much to change the situation. As far as I can tell, compliance/non-compliance have little to do with outcomes, at least not for POC.

In this situation a person doing no harm to anyone, engaged in legal activities, has the basic right to be left in peace.

[stopdiggin]

15. can't think of a single thing I disagree with in the above

Most especially the final sentence.
My priority is in seeing that people make it home alive. That's why I think it is important to listen to people like the ACLU. Know your rights. Exercise your rights. But do try to make it home in one piece.

[RVN VET71]

7. If they were truly police officers behaving in the public interest

they would have offered him a ride home, wouldn’t they? I mean “we’re all in this together” right? Even the police chief said they should have just taken the kid home! This must be what the officers felt to be a Texas style "wellness check": if he’s black and able to breathe, arrest him?

[stopdiggin]

13. agreed. but a wellness check given the conditions

probably had a sound original premise. Shirtsleeves, bone chilling cold, dark of night ... Could so easily have been somebody that really needed some help.

(walking in the street after a snowstorm is common practice -- generally it's the only place to walk)

[RVN VET71]

16. 100% agree.

[Trueblue1968]

8. fire the cops, then lock them up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Celerity]

10. fucking racist scum coppers, ugh

[WestIndianArchie]

11. No victory

The real question is "why was he charged in the first place"