Freedom Fighter Radio

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I told the officers from a distance that we had done nothing wrong and therefore were not interested in having a discussion. As mentioned, it was 2:15 am and we were in the process of hailing a cab. The moment I turned away from the officers, they both proceeded to sprint in my direction and forcibly restrain and handcuff me. Without any sort of explanation, I was thrown in the back of a squad car and driven to a nearby station. Vincent was left on the sidewalk having no idea why I had been abducted.

Once at the station, I was left in the back of the squad car for nearly an hour, while the officers debated what to do with me. From the very onset of the incident I demanded that I be told what crime I had committed and that I be read my rights. The officers scoffed at my request and said that if I didn’t shut my mouth, I’d be staying in jail for the rest of the weekend. They refused to read me my rights and began writing a ticket for “Obstructing an officer and refusing to obey officers during an investigation”. When I asked what investigation, they responded with similar mocking remarks. They then tried to break a deal with me, saying that if I admitted to trying to run from them, they’d let me off with a ticket. I then became audibly disgusted and let them know that they didn’t deserve to wear the badges they were hiding behind. However, after I came to the realization that the officers were willing to make me sit in jail for multiple days out of spite, I told them I’d do whatever it took to go home. At this point, they forcibly removed me from the squad car and began to search me when they found a closed bottle of beer left over from a friend’s house we’d stopped at after the bar. They then proceeded to write me an additional ticket for public drinking. It should be noted that the closed beer was not found until more than an hour after I was picked up and brought to the station. Any claim that the bottle was the motive for the investigation is false, since they did not even know the bottle existed until I was being let go. Their claim that I was in possession of an open bottle on a public sidewalk is a blatant lie. At this point, I was released and told to go home.

As I was turning around to leave, I saw my friend Vincent in the lobby of the station. It wasn’t difficult to conclude that he had followed me to the station and was arguing on my behalf. I entered the station, telling Vincent I had finally been released, when multiple officers grabbed Vincent and said he wasn’t going anywhere. For the second time in one evening, one of us was being arrested for no apparent reason. After they removed him from the lobby, I demanded to be told why he was being arrested. I was given no reasoning, except that I would be joining him if I didn’t leave. At this point, I was beyond angry. Both my best friend and I had each been arrested for doing nothing wrong and now my friend was being forced to spend a night in jail for simply defending me. They said he and I were trespassing. “Trespassing?” I said. We were in a public building filled with police officers, how could we be trespassing? As I said, they told me that if I didn’t leave I would be arrested as well. I tried to explain the false logic of being forced to stay against my will in jail if I didn’t willingly leave the jail, but they did not come off as the educated type. I was finally forced to leave the building by multiple officers who obviously suffered from low self-esteem and obesity during childhood, at which point I began calling the station to ask why my friend had been arrested. I was repeatedly hung up on and told that my friend was a criminal and deserved to be in jail and that if I returned to the station I’d be arrested as well. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the officers who made these same initial remarks in person were white and my friend Vincent is multi-racial.

By now, I had been given absolutely no respect by any of the officers I’d encountered. So little respect in fact that I got the feeling that every Milwaukee police officer shared this sick culture of lawlessness and abuse of power. I continued to call the station, only to be hung up on immediately when the line was answered. When my anger finally wore off, I called back and asked to speak with the Lieutenant on duty. I calmly explained the entire evening and why I was so angry. He genuinely seemed to understand and told me they didn’t take my anger personally. He said it was a natural reaction and they were used to it. I asked if there was any way I could get my friend out and he said I could come back and pick him up if I promised to come in peace and not cause any trouble. I said I would do whatever it took, but I wanted his assurance that I wouldn’t be arrested like the officers in the lobby said. He promised I wouldn’t be arrested and told me to come back.

Roughly 15 minutes later, I arrived back at the station to find a group of officers sitting in the lobby. Upon entering, I put my hands up and said the Lieutenant promised I could come back and pick up my friend. At this point, I was told they hadn’t heard a word from the Lieutenant and they had orders to arrest me. It’s now obvious that the Lieutenant was simply playing with me in order to write another ticket. I was then arrested for the second time that night and thrown in jail with Vincent. The following morning, I was released at around 11am, but Vincent was instead transferred to the county jail, rebooked, and given a county charge of disorderly conduct. He was not released until 8pm that evening after being forced to post bail, something I was not forced to do. The only thing he ever did was defend his friend, nothing more. I’m guessing my pale skin saved me from spending the rest of the day with Vincent. After my release, I spoke with an officer on duty while picking up my property and he explained that I had been arrested the second time so the officer could stay on duty to pick up some overtime. He said it was a common occurrence.

I am not a master of Milwaukee municipal laws, but I know that this treatment was completely unfair and contrary to the basic objective of serving the public. These actions were more like those of rights-abusing officers at Guantanamo Bay, not of supposedly law-abiding American police officers. In retrospect, we received a combined 4 tickets totaling nearly $700 for doing absolutely nothing wrong. The only thing we were guilty of was becoming angry at the abusive actions nearly every officer we encountered that evening. These actions have completely destroyed my confidence and trust of all Milwaukee Police officers and I refuse to pay a fine for standing up for myself.

A little about myself and my background. I’m a college graduate, a volunteer in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, an entrepreneur, and co-founder of Greener Milwaukee, a Milwaukee based organization that hopes to bring green technology and renewable energy to Milwaukee consumers and companies alike. I’m also the kind of person who is willing to stand up for his beliefs. As you can see, I’m obviously a danger to society. I have known Vincent since I was 11 years old. There is not another man I know of such strong allegiance and moral fiber. I would trust him with my life and I have nothing but respect for his actions when trying to defend me. He was arrested for standing up for me and I in turn was willing to do the same.

If the officers’ actions I spoke of are truly acceptable, then I am appalled and sickened by the wayward path they have travelled. Their duty is to serve the public, not abuse it. This country was built on freedom and expression, yet it is being run like a prison. The officers in question are the only ones I can think of who should be spending time in jail. That is all I have to say.

Doug Lane