Another ‘Destruction of Property’ Arrest for CHALKING on Concrete! (VIDEO)
UPDATE: CHARGES WERE DROPPED BY THE DA BEFORE COURT DATE.
Before coming back to Cleveland, OH to bail out the founder of Greater Cleveland CopBlock I was in Columbia, Missouri. I had decided to head out that way to report on the story of David Sobelman who faces a possible LIFE sentence for what anyone else, who isn’t a victim of the war on drugs already, would get a slap on the wrist for; minor drug possession.
At the end of this post are the videos that show how Thomas Quintana and Robert Fox not only assaulted Sobelman but did so after profiling him based off hearsay and past convictions. Even if he wasn’t profiled and the force used was justified, it’s still a shame that in 2016 we’re not only allowing people like Fox and Quintana to lock people up for minor drug possession but paying them to do it. This story really highlights the absurdity the ‘war on drugs’ has become.
[Read more about David Sobelman’s story HERE and HERE]
While in Columbia a group of us, including Chris who’s David’s nephew, took to the streets to do some local outreach. The gas station that Sobelman was targeted at is in the middle of the college area of downtown. Which allows these “off-duty” but in uniform officers access to many unsuspecting, easily targetable students to charge with a number of victimless crimes; like underage drinking.
Our goal was to raise awareness about the police officer presense at the gas station, educate people about their right to record the police and let them know that at CopBlock.org you can submit your videos/stories to help stop shady police work or abuses. On top of the flyers, wristbands and CopBlock Gear we had to handout we were also equipped with some sidewalk chalk.
While most of the police officers left us alone or completely ignored us all together, no matter what we were doing – handing out flyers or chalking, there was one officer who wasted no time arresting Chris for chalking on concrete! That of course is Sgt Fox who assisted Quintana in caging Chris’s uncle, see video below.
It still amazes me that police get so emotional over chalk on concrete. It doesn’t fit the definitions of destruction or graffiti and it most certainly doesn’t cause damage to concrete. In most cases the property owner is the public so they aren’t protecting anyone’s property either. There really is no reason for the police to step in when someone is putting a chalk stick to concrete that’s owned by the public. Yet, we live in a police state, where robotic cops feel it’s their “duty” to enforce every stupid law they can think up.
Furthermore, some police are fine with chalking and others lose their damn minds resulting in nationwide warrants out for your arrest. Yet, you never really know until you put chalk stick to concrete.
What I do know is that chalking public property seems to be a far less crime towards society than sending a man to a cage for the rest of his life because he possessed substances SOME deem illegal. I wouldn’t expect Fox to understand this because he has, like so many of his thin blue line brothers, given up that freedom of thought for a paycheck. It doesn’t matter to him what he’s asked to do, he’ll do it.
The video above is proof of that. Now the only question is will this cost the CPD a wrongful arrest lawsuit or will they use the court system to stick a charge to a man and punish taxpayers by forcing them to fit the bill for his prosecution and/or jail time?
I’ll keep this story updated.
FOX IN VIDEO’S OF SOBELMAN ARREST/ASSAULT:
