My family moved to Clearlake recently, only to find out the police department is full of corrupt and prejudiced cops. My husband and I were at a local gas station pumping gas into our classic car. There were two officers there who had another car pulled over but as soon as they observed my husband, David Davis, who is black, pumping gas into a nice car, they stopped what they were doing and approached him. They were very rude and they asked where the license plates to the car were and my husband calmly stated they were in the mail. My husband then showed them his license, insurance, and registration on the car. The two officers even after seeing all this asked my husband if the car was his. Then they proceeded to ask him if he was on probation or parole. One of the officers even stated to him, “We don”t like your kind out here.” By this time my husband was frustrated and told them they were racist and they were obviously racially profiling him and harassing him for no reason. After writing him a ticket for a cracked windshield, the officer handed him the ticket and told him, “I can”t wait until 49 hours is up so we can tow your car for the cracked windshield.”
The following morning we went down to the police department to file a complaint and the captain on duty told us not to worry; he would speak with the officers.
That night while we were driving home from the store in our truck we were pulled over again. This time as soon as the officer walked up to the truck he immediately asked my husband, who was on the passenger side, “Do you have an attitude!?” Then he asked me for my license and registration.
While I was getting the information he very rudely asked my husband, who was just sitting there, “Do you have an attitude, where is your ID, why don”t you have your seat belt on!?” At the time he did not have his wallet on him but he gave him mail that verified his name and address from DMV from his license renewal. The officer then came around and opened his door and told him to get out and put handcuffs on him and stated “These cuffs are good and rusty.” The handcuffs were so tight on my husband”s wrists they cut into his skin.
After putting him in the back seat of his police car he called one of the officers that was on duty the previous night that approached us at the gas station. When he arrived the officer who put the handcuffs on my husband pulled him out of the police car and shoved him into the dirt on his face while my husband was having an asthma attack. As the officer stood over my husband, shoving his face into the dirt, he shoved a ticket at him telling him if he didn”t sign it they would take him to jail. The whole time the officer from the previous night stood there and watched.
My husband repeatedly told them he was having an asthma attack and couldn”t breath so finally another officer at the scene called an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived they removed my husband”s handcuffs and allowed the paramedics to check him over. They told the officers he was indeed having an asthma attack and needed to go to the hospital to receive an abuteral treatment. Then the officer from the previous night walked up to the ambulance door and gave my husband a very mean look that made my husband fear for his life at this time, so he signed the ticket; written out for no seat-belt, and chose to go home and administer his own abuteral treatment.
Since all of this has happened we have noticed more police cars driving by our home which has my family living in fear. Here are a group of individuals sworn to serve and protect and instead all they have done is left us in fear. I only hope this will not only open your eyes but the publics eyes to how our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent on racist corrupt police here in Clearlake!
Page Davis is a resident of Clearlake.
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