Activist records police questioning Black man inquiring about a job application
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A Black man in Memphis in search of a job was allegedly harassed by police and now an activist who recorded the exchange wants the cops held accountable.
According to activist Hunter Demster, a man asked for an application from a restaurant in the Cooper Young section of Memphis but instead was met with resistance and questioned by two cops, reports Fox News 13.
—UPDATED: Criminal homicide charge filed against police officer who killed Antwon Rose—
The Memphis-area activist said he started filming from his cellphone after two cops started asking the man questions as he inquired about a job application.
Demster said one of the officers demanded that he stop recording, but he did not. He started a Facebook Live video and it shows one of the officers reaching for Demster’s phone.
“At this point, you’re interfering with an investigation,” the officer said before the video shuts off.
According to reports, civilians have the right to record officers with the Memphis Police Department. They even have the right to criticize officers handling of civilians.
Demster said he was within a reasonable distance away and has filed a complaint requesting an internal investigation of the matter.
“They didn’t like that they were on camera, and they didn’t like the idea of being held accountable,” Demster told FOX13.
—Mayor apologizes after posting about police using water cannons on Antwon Rose protestors—
Cellphone footage is what has been holding police officers around the country accountable when it comes to how they deal with members of the Black community.
A woman inside a Waffle House in Alabama was manhandled by police and had her clothes torn off as she struggled to get answers for a food bill.
A Florida officer who was called to intervene in a dispute between a pizza delivery driver and a customer, quit his job after being caught on video calling a Black man a vile racial slur.
