Video Proves Colorado Cops Filed False Assault Charges Against Homeless Man Who Stood Up Against Their Abuses

The following was submitted by Eric Brandt. If you have a story of police misconduct or abuse please use the submit page to share it with us. If you would like to take a more active role in spreading the message that badges don’t grant extra rights, check out the CopBlock Network and fill a role that best fits your lifestyle.

6/10/2015
Adams County Deputy Adam Kingsley
Adams County Sheriff McIntosh 303-654-1850

Adams County, Colorado – Sheriff deputies have been arresting nameless panhandlers at I-76 and Sheridan for trespassing for years. In 2014, Adrian Brown and his brother Zach took a stand against the practice and won. After spending months in jail fighting several identical trespass charges, their cases were dismissed as unconstitutionally applied and in violation of their 1st and 14th amendment rights to free speech and unimpeded travel. (14M665 Adams County v. Adrian Brown).

The arrests persisted. In February, 2015, Civil Rights Attorney David Lane filed a lawsuit in Federal court on behalf of Adrian Brown for a dozen of these arrests. But the arrests still persisted. On June 10, 2015 Zach and Adrian Brown responded with others in response to an early morning arrest of another homeless woman. The video linked here captures their encounter with Deputy Adam Kingsley.

Deputy Kingsley arrested Zach to which Adrian responded by picking up Zach’s panhandling sign. Deputy Kingsley then responded by contacting Adrian – literally contacting him. Kingsley grabbed Adrian without advising him he was under arrest. Adrian recoiled back away from his grab. Kingsley then grabbed Adrian by the neck, pulled him in and started punching. He pushed Adrian to the ground where Adrian tried to ball himself up in defense as Kingsley kept punching. Fellow deputies lost control of their vehicle nearly running Adrian over. Adrian was cuffed and arrested. Right at the end of the recording you could hear a pair of handcuffs as the deputy slapped the cuffs on Austin Johnson who was recording and ripped the phone from his hands as evidence.

After the recording was stopped and the scene settled down, the deputies chortled that they like these felony charges as they can get rid of Adrian Brown for at least five years. That’s right – they charged Adrian with felony assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest, obstructing a peace officer, and of course trespassing. They booked the phone into evidence and tried repeatedly to get the password to access it. Failing that, they obtained a search warrant to extract the video and the record shows they were successful. The phone was finally returned to the owner and surprisingly the video was intact. The prosecution has yet to produce the video extracted by the warrant despite months of requests; it is presumed to be destroyed.

Without that video, the trial against Adrian Brown would be the testimony of three uniformed law enforcement professionals against the testimony of a couple of rag-tag disheveled street bums. Kingsley filed an official statement of probable cause for the arrest. Kingsley’s report was nearly entirely fabricated. If his statements were true, then certainly the charges would be justified. Unfortunately they are FALSE and intentionally filed to secure a felony conviction. The video is obviously being withheld because it proves Kingsley lied. Providing that video at trial would ruin their concerted plan to rid themselves of one of their most vocal critics and could result in themselves being prosecuted.

Since this incident, activists have demonstrated against Kingsley and crew. The result has been a backlash of increased arrests and escalating violence against Adrian Brown. Several homeless people report Kingsley spreading nasty rumors about Adrian followed with statements that no reports would be filed if he were to become seriously injured. Supporters of Adrian Brown have had increased arrests and half a dozen are now being prosecuted in Adams County on falsified charges. Adrian Brown himself now has four criminal cases pending, with two being felonies. Additionally, his family has been targeted by child protective services with six children from three families being taken so far.

Most ‘recently, Adrian Brown was in the Adams County Jail where they subjected him to violent assaults and torture on January 13, 14, 15, and 16. He was isolated to a cell on an un-populated cell block for a couple of hours before being rushed, handcuffed, shackled and chained. He was taken to a quiet room where he had a taser pointed in his face, was kicked, punched, slapped and denigrated. They then dragged him down the hall and tossed him haphazardly in a restraint chair and proceeded to kick him into position. They strapped him down tightly, covered his face, and spent the next four hours insulting, taunting, denigrating and provoking him. They repeatedly told him they were going to break him. When they finally released his straps, they advised him that he was suicidal and placed him on a medical suicide hold. This kept him isolated from all outside contact for days while his bruises and cuts healed. He was never treated for his injuries during this time and no pictures were taken during their use-of-force reporting. On day three, he managed to convince a deputy to let him call home. Without that call, he would have been isolated another two days – bruises fading away. So far, requests for jailhouse surveillance videos have been fruitless.

The video of Kingsley beating Adrian Brown was a lucky break. They obviously hoped it would not surface for sure. There are videos of the arrests of his associates which contradict the deputies reports and are expected to exonerate their charges. There is no reason to think courtroom recordings and jail videos would prove equally supportive of Adrian Brown if they could ever be obtained.

Adrian Brown needs help. He needs this story to be put forward urgently. Adams County is showing no signs of self accountability. Sheriff McIntosh has never responded, Kingsley is still on the beat abusing homeless, homeless are still being unconstitutionally arrested for trespassing, and the deputies have become more aggressive and more crafty with their work. This is a case where recording the police proves the need to keep recording police. This story is one where recording a group of known abusive cops proves the need to keep recording them. And this is an epic story of a determined homeless man and his community continuing to stand up to these cops and they just are not having it. These folks need some serious support now.

Please help them out. – Eric Brandt