Michael Jennings was helping out a friend by watering plants when a neighbor called police about a suspicious person and officers showed up.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A Black pastor who was arrested by white police officers while watering the flowers of a neighbor who was out of town filed a federal lawsuit alleging the ordeal violated his constitutional rights and caused lingering problems including emotional distress and anxiety.
Jennings’ lawyers held a news conference outside the Birmingham federal courthouse on Saturday to discuss the lawsuit, and the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, and other groups planned a rally afterward at a downtown park.The suit alleged the actions of Officers Christopher Smith and Justin Gable, Sgt. Jeremy Brooks and the city violated rights protecting against unlawful arrest and guaranteeing free speech.
Filed in municipal court, the charge was dismissed within days at the request of the then-police chief. Jennings’ attorneys last month released police body camera video that was obtained following a records request to the city, located 55 miles southeast of Birmingham. “These poor judgment decisions reflect poorly on the type of training the Childersburg police officers receive … if they were acting in accordance within police guidelines,” Simelton said in a statement.
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Black preacher arrested while watering flowers sues policeMichael Jennings is suing three officers and the central Alabama town of Childersburg for an unspecified amount of money.
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Black preacher arrested while watering flowers sues policeMichael Jennings is suing three officers and the central Alabama town of Childersburg for an unspecified amount of money.
Read more »
Black preacher arrested while watering flowers sues policeMichael Jennings is suing three officers and the central Alabama town of Childersburg for an unspecified amount of money.
Read more »
Black preacher arrested while watering flowers sues policeA Black pastor who was arrested by white police officers while watering the flowers of a neighbor has filed a federal lawsuit over the ordeal
Read more »
Black preacher arrested while watering flowers sues policeMichael Jennings is suing three officers and the central Alabama town of Childersburg for an unspecified amount of money.
Read more »
Black preacher arrested while watering flowers sues policeBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A Black pastor who was arrested by white police officers while watering the flowers of a neighbor who was out of town filed a federal lawsuit alleging the ordeal violated his constitutional rights and caused lingering problems including emotional distress and anxiety.
Read more »