Driving While Black

Jesse Thornton, a 64-year-old retired firefighter was arrested, allegedly for a driving while under the influence. Mr. Thornton is African American and has suffered harassment by police in the city of Surprise on multiple occasions. Mr. Thornton was pulled over by police on his way home from swimming at LA Fitness, and was told he had bloodshot eyes. The officer accused him of driving under the influence of alcohol. The officers refused to believe that he was sober. He was arrested, and his blood alcohol level was subsequently determined to be 0.00.

The Law Office of Marc J. Victor, P.C. represents Mr. Thornton in connection with his arrest, criminal charges, and prosecution for allegedly driving under the Influence after blowing a .000 PBT and being determined by a Drug Recognition Expert to not be under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. Mr. Thornton’s attorney has placed the City of Surprise on notice of the claim Mr. Thornton’s constitutional rights were violated and assert this violation may have been related to his race. This arrest followed a series of harassing encounters with the police.

Mr. Victor is known as “Attorney for Freedom,” and is a yearly guest at Libertopia. Mr. Victor characterizes Mr. Thornton’s experience as “Driving while black.” See more details in the video below –