VIDEO: Is This What Walking Down the Street Drinking Coffee is Like for a Black Man in a Police State??

*Originally posted at the “FREETHOUGHTPROJECT.”

An Ohio man was merely trying to walk down the street and drink his coffee last month when he became the target of a Cincinnati police officer.

Charles Harrel, 29, pulled out his phone and documented his stalker, Cincinnati officer, Baron Osterman.

As the video begins, Harrell says, “This is what we have to go through in Cincinnati,” as Osterman follows him on his bicycle. “You can’t be a black man and enjoy your morning, because the police are going to harass you, Cincinnati, Ohio. … Walking down the street; the cop just asked me if I have a problem.”

Harrell knew that his morning was about to be ruined.

“Sir, I saw you crossing at the light,” Osterman said, noting that his vested authority gives him the power to deprive people of their freedom for allegedly crossing the street in a manner not fit for the police state.

Osterman claimed the man had jaywalked while Harrell says he crossed with the light. At this point, the situation is quickly escalated.

Harrell then says, “Sir, you were scaring me, sir. I don’t know why were following me, anyway. You were following me all the way down the street.”

For allegedly crossing the street the wrong way, Harrell is thrown to the wall, handcuffed, search, and arrested. The camera, which fell to the ground during the assault, continued to record the interaction.

Harrell is charged with a pedestrian violation, possession of less than 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of marijuana and resisting arrest.

Osterman is no stranger to violent, and even deadly interactions. According to Cincinnati.com;

Osterman was part of a police-involved death of a black male, Nathaniel Jones, in 2003 in the parking lot of a North Avondale White Castle restaurant.

In 2004, the Citizen Complaint Authority ruled that it believed officers used excessive force in subduing Jones, 41, who weighed 348 pounds, had high blood pressure and had ingested illegal narcotics. Osterman and another officer, James Pike, had their names cleared in 2008 when a Hamilton County Common Pleas judge awarded the officers financial compensation for injuries sustained while arresting Jones and for punitive and compensatory damages.

The Free Thought Project reached out to Harrell and the Cincinnati police department for a statement but have yet to hear back from either party.

On Friday, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac released the following statement.

“We take all citizen concerns and complaints seriously. As such, the incident is under investigation by both the Internal Investigations Unit of the Cincinnati Police Department and the Citizen Complaint Authority, which provides a neutral, independent review of the incident. We are committed to transparency and will provide further information once we have allowed both the criminal trial and the administrative investigations to run their course.”

Below is video evidence of what it’s like to face police harassment on a daily basis. Prior to being stopped by Osterman, Harrell had created zero victims. He was merely walking down the street, in the land of the free, and targeted for revenue collection, harassment, and subsequent kidnapping — all of this for ‘public safety.’

Post written by Matt.

Columbus Police Issue Jaywalking Tickets TOO!

VIDEO: Is This What Walking Down the Street Drinking Coffee is Like for a Black Man in a Police State?? is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights

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