HPD Really Wants to Enforce the Noise Ordinance, According to This Shotgun-Cocking Video (UPDATED)
This YouTube video was taken at a Houston Free Thinkers Free Show, and, according to the person who posted it, it's what happened when HPD showed up to investigate a noise complaint.
It appears to show an HPD officer cocking a shotgun of some sort to intimidate the rowdy crowd.
Here's the description:
This video was taken at the Houston Free Thinkers Free Show. The police showed up at 10:15 with the stated purpose of addressing a noise complaint. Derrick Broze spoke to the police about the noise and agreed to shut down one of the three stages. While Derrick spoke to the officer another officer began poking around The Compound (which is not a public venue). Derrick asked these police if they had a warrant. They asked for his ID. He told them he was not in public and that he was not driving a car and was not therefore required to have one but was happy to identify himself as Derrick Broze and provided his birth date as well.The officer then grabbed Derrick and took him out into the street and put him against the car and searched him. All without charging him or telling him anything. As more friends came around and asked what was going on. Some were unwilling to remain silent and exercised their first amendment rights and spoke their mind. One of these individuals was forcibly grabbed from behind and threatened, "your freedom ends tonight" (can be heard in the video). This individual breaks loose from his unknown assailant and is grabbed by multiple officers and slammed into the car
When the crowd of unarmed civilians demonstrates their shock and outrage at this a shotgun is pulled and cocked. Unfortunately, this went this way. We must learn to somehow reach out effectively to militarized police so that we may win their hearts and minds over to peace, liberty, and the Bill of Rights.
This new noise ordinance is really generating some odd HPD behavior.
UPDATE: Houston Free Thinkers' Derrick Broze gives his view of the incident:
After I was shoved into the [police] car the crowd become upset at seeing someone from the community taken away without being told why, essentially kidnapping a citizen off private property. When the crowd began to exercise their first amendment and express their discontent for the situation the police chose to escalate it.As more police cruisers arrived one officer chose to grab Micah Jackson from behind and say to him, "Your freedom ends tonight!" As he swung Mr. Jackson around other officers joined in and slammed him to the back of the police car I was being held in. I watched his face slam on the window. The officers then handcuffed him and put him in the back of another car telling him he was being charged with resisting arrest. He inquired as to what the offense was, and he was also told he was attempting to incite a riot.
Immediately after this the same officer brandishes a shotgun and cocks it at a peaceful, albeit upset, crowd.
And there's a second video:
And HPD has responded. Chief Charles A. McClelland issued this statement: "We are working to identify all the officers in the video and will initiate an inquiry to determine all the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident. We will be thorough in our review and if we determine policy violations occurred ensure appropriate corrective actions."
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