Tag: Memphis Police Department

Categories
News The Fly-By

Blue Crush Continues To Help MPD Combat Crime

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

In 2005, former Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin introduced a plan to crush crime one statistic at a time.

Called Blue CRUSH, the data-driven initiative uses information collected from Memphis Police Department (MPD) reports to determine local crime hotspots. Aggravated assaults, nondomestic violence, robbery, burglary, and vehicle theft are among the crimes targeted.

The location, day, and time an offense occurs is recorded and analyzed, which helps law enforcement determine where they need to deploy more officers. Crime stats in these hotspots are generally lowered as a result.

Blue CRUSH’s citywide launch was covered in the Memphis Flyer article “A Secret Crush” by Bianca Phillips in December 2006, and the initiative was later profiled in-depth in the cover story “Blue Crush” by Preston Lauterbach in April 2007.

Justin Fox Burks

Richard Janikowski

Richard Janikowski, a retired University of Memphis criminology professor, was instrumental in the creation of Blue CRUSH (an acronym for Crime Reduction Utilizing Statistical History). He along with several other analysts from the University of Memphis’ Center for Community Criminology and Research banded together to create the initiative with the MPD.

“The first year saw some modest decreases, and then things started decreasing across the board,” Janikowski said. “By the end of 2010, violent crime was down in Memphis over 24 percent [and] property crime [was down] over 26 percent. It had real impacts that became noticed throughout the country. Police departments from around the world have been coming to Memphis to look at what’s been done.”

The crime-fighting initiative came about after Godwin called a meeting of high-ranking city officials and law enforcement representatives at a local Piccadilly Cafeteria urging the development of new approaches to combat city crime.

During the meeting, Janikowski informed Godwin he could develop a program pinpointing crime hotspots but needed access to all of the MPD’s data on an ongoing basis. After being provided with data packages composed of information on various crimes, Janikowski and his colleagues began examining them on a daily basis, determining what information was useful and how they could best utilize it. They produced information packages for precinct commanders, showing criminal hotspots and frequent days and times criminal activity took place in those areas.

Pilot operations of Blue CRUSH were conducted throughout the end of 2005 and into 2006, exploring what tactics worked and how they could best be adapted. The initiative launched citywide in late 2006.

Nearly a decade later, Blue CRUSH has been responsible for triggering thousands of arrests. And Janikowski said MPD commanders and analysts continue to discover better ways to suppress local crime.

“Commanders have mastered the use of data, how to deploy task forces, and directed patrol,” Janikowski said. “They’ve developed new analysts and new technologies to apply.”

Nevertheless, annually, the MPD experiences a decrease in manpower due to budget cuts, reduction in promotions, and limited resources for recruiting and training new officers.

Janikowski said the MPD’s decline in manpower leaves open the opportunity for Blue CRUSH to become a lost cause.

“I don’t care what you call the crime initiative, the data and the analysis are tools, but the work is done by those men and women in blue on the streets,” he said. “They’re the critical variable. None of it works without them. The problem right now is literally every week MPD’s number of sworn officers is declining. It has been declining for a number of years.”

Categories
News The Fly-By

Memphis Police Director To Re-Design the Department

Many were surprised to learn last week that efforts are under way to “redesign” the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

Police Director Toney Armstrong delivered the news in a Memphis City Council budget hearing in his standard, flat, professional monotone that made the announcement seem expected, though many said it was the first they’d heard of the project.

The crux of the announcement was that the MPD’s proposed budget for next year includes about 188 fewer police officers than it had last year. The current budget allows Armstrong to have as many as 2,470 officers.

But it’s more than simply the number of officers influencing Armstrong’s decision to redesign the department. Armstrong had been directed by the city’s Chief Administrative Officer, George Little, to revise the department’s mission statement — that is, change what kind of services the MPD provides and how it delivers those services. The directive sprang from tight financial times for city leaders who are pressured to maintain services to taxpayers, which get more expensive every year, and pay at least $15 million more next year into the city’s ailing pension fund.   

“We’re at a time of reckoning when we need to decide what level of service we can afford to provide,” Little said Tuesday.

Armstrong said the redesign process is moving ahead, but it is far from complete, and he prompted city council members for guidance. 

“We are in the process of essentially designing a new police department,” Armstrong said. “As the police department stands now, we have [a complement of] 2,470 officers. If we scale back to 2,282 as we’ve proposed in this budget, there will be a level of services we will not be able to perform. We have to make decisions on what to do and what not to do.”

Fewer officers would likely come with a reduced mission. For example, the MPD could choose not to respond to burglar alarms or to fender benders. These ideas have been discussed in the past but were formalized in the city’s five-year strategic plan from consulting firm The PFM Group.

That study proposed a raft of changes that included a reduced list of services from the MPD, lowering pay for some police positions, hiring civilians to do office work that is currently performed by higher-wage sworn officers, cutting back on pay for college incentives and length of service, and cutting some holidays and sick days. 

Perhaps the biggest move suggested by PFM is to consolidate the office and dispatch services of the MPD and the Memphis Fire Department (MFD). The study said as many as 130 governments have consolidated police and fire to some degree. Some have even cross-trained police officers and firefighters to do both jobs, it said. 

But the study suggested the MPD and the MFD maintain independence but share back-office support and dispatchers. Doing so would save $7.6 million over five years with a reduction of 35 employees.  

Michael Williams, president of the Memphis Police Association, said he read PFM’s report but didn’t know until Armstrong said it last week that the MPD was up for a redesign.

“The director’s got to do what the director’s got to do,” Williams said. “But what I heard him say to the council was, actually, the council has to decide what level of service do they want to provide to the citizens. If they want a full-service department, they have to increase the complement. If they do not, then the citizens have to be told and have to understand that they aren’t going to receive the same services they’re used to.”

• MPD calls 2012 – 1,637,200

• Radio dispatcher salary – $50,345 (34 percent higher than peer cities)

• MPD portion of city’s 2013 budget – 36.6 percent

• MPD/MFD holiday pay 2013 – $11.8 million

• MPD employees – increased by 314 from 2008-2013

Source: PFM Group

Categories
News News Blog

MPD Collecting Unwanted Prescription Drugs At Kroger

CREDIT: Greg Cravens

cover-1-teaser.jpg

Before locals enter their community Kroger to shop this Saturday, they’ll have the opportunity to dispose of expired or unwanted prescription drugs from their medicine cabinets in bins outside the establishment.

As part of the 8th annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, Memphis Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials will be present at four different Kroger locations with bins for people to safely and anonymously dispose unwanted, unused prescription drugs this Saturday (April 26th).

The take-back, which heightens the prevention of possible pill abuse and inappropriate distribution, will last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The four Kroger branches that MPD and DEA officials will be on site at are 3444 Plaza Ave, 3860 Austin Peay Highway, 676 Germantown Parkway, and 7942 Winchester Road. People can also dispose prescription drugs at Emmanuel United Methodist (2404 Kirby Road).

“This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” a MPD press release stated. “Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.”

Last October, Americans turned in 324 tons (over 647,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at over 4,114 sites operated by the DEA and its thousands of state and local law enforcement partners, according to the MPD. When those results are combined with what was collected in its seven previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 3.4 million pounds—more than 1,700 tons—of pills.

MPD spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said illegal prescription drug distribution is prevalent locally. She said the prescription drugs collected Saturday will be weighed and transported to a burn facility out of state and destroyed.

Earlier this month, more than three dozen people involved in a prescription drug-ring were indicted during “Operation Whitehaven Dilaudid Family.” The ring was responsible for illegally distributing large amounts of Dilaudid and other prescription pills throughout the area.

More than 20 of the individuals indicted are facing state drug charges. Another 15 defendants are facing federal drug charges. Charges carry penalties of up to 25 years in prison without parole.

“Many of the 23 defendants indicted on state drug charges are family members whose drug-trafficking operation has been in business for more than 15 years,” Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich said in a press release.

Law enforcement seized 10 vehicles, $53,807 in cash, 111 Dilaudid pills and 154 grams of powder cocaine during the undercover operation.

The MPD’s Organized Crime Unit, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service executed “Operation Whitehaven Dilaudid Family” collectively.

Categories
News News Blog

No Weapons Found During East High School Lockdown (Update)

ay5cv.jpg

The Memphis Police Department’s public information office has released a statement that says no weapons or armed suspects were discovered during its search of East High School earlier today.

The school was placed on lockdown after a student safety tip alleged there were armed men inside the school. MPD officers conducted a perimeter search at the school before ceasing the lockdown and allowing classes to resume. However, concerned parents were allowed to pick up their children, which several dozen did.

Several parents outside of the school said the incident stemmed from an occurrence yesterday (April 10th) involving a student(s) and an outside individual(s) who was allegedly armed. That person(s) allegedly returned to the school looking for the same student(s). Parents alleged that the incident is gang-related. However, the MPD’s press statement doesn’t confirm that the issue is connected with gang activity.

Check out the MPD’s press release below.

On Friday, April 11, 2014, at approximately 9:35 pm, officers responded to an armed party call at East High School, 3206 Poplar Avenue.

Upon arriving on the scene, officers were advised that the school was on lock-down and there were possibly several armed males inside of the school. A perimeter was established and a search within the school for the possible armed suspects began by utilizing MPD patrol officers, MPD’s Canine Unit, Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies, and Shelby County School Security.

The preliminary investigation revealed that a student at East High School reported to a school security officer that another student/s was armed and inside the school. Officers were further advised that this reporting may have stemmed from an altercation that occurred yesterday. On Wednesday, April 10, 2014, an Aggravated Assault was reported to have occurred on the sidewalk near the school. The altercation involved several individuals, both students and non-students. During the altercation, one of the suspects was reportedly armed with a hand gun. It has not been determined that the individual who was armed was a student at East High School, but the reporting student from today’s alert had received information that someone connected with this investigation was armed in the school.

After conducting a search of the school, officers found no armed suspects. Officers also confirmed with the reporting student that the potential suspects were not physically seen, but he/she was only reporting what they had been told by other students.

Although this incident ended as a “false alarm”, it is important that parents and students know the urgency of reporting armed parties within our school systems. Parents should stress the importance to their children as it relates to immediately reporting any suspicious, criminal or life threatening activities that may occur in or around school property. The students’ and faculty’s safety is the utmost importance. The Memphis Police Department will continue to work with Shelby County Schools, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and Shelby County School Security to ensure the safety of every student and faculty member.

The investigation into the incident (Report#1404005516ME) that occurred yesterday is ongoing. No charges have been filed.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Blight Battle

Besides keeping the city’s streets safe, Memphis police officers are also tasked with keeping streets clean.

Last week, officers from every local Memphis Police Department (MPD) precinct participated in a two-day course on how to identify and combat “environmental crimes,” such as littering, abandoned houses, illegal dumping, and water pollution.

The course featured lectures on battling things that negatively impact the community, such as blight, poor yard maintenance, noise violations, and pets running off-leash.

“The best way to resolve [environmental] issues is to inform uniform patrol officers how to enforce the statutes involving environmental crime,” said MPD officer Milton Bonds, a moderator for the training course. “We hope that we can make a difference and help rebuild the community.”

The training course took place Wednesday, March 12th, and Thursday, March 13th, at the Memphis Police Training Academy. The MPD presented the course in conjunction with Memphis Code Enforcement and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Wednesday’s session provided officers with an introduction to environmental crime and how to recognize and report occurrences. Blight, which impacts neighborhoods, businesses, property values, and crime levels, was the main focus.

“In certain cases, MPD officers are in areas where they see first-hand violations pertaining to environmental crimes,” said MPD spokesperson Karen Rudolph. “This training allowed officers the opportunity to see how taking strides to improve blight issues can also improve our community as a whole. Officers can address these issues within their respective areas and help to maintain a beautiful Memphis.”

On Thursday, officers were taught procedures for investigating environmental crime scenes, determining if a crime is civil or criminal, and how to organize a case for prosecution.

There was also a court presentation and mock court exercise orchestrated by Environmental Court referee John Cameron. Cameron focused on code violations, such as high grass and weeds, and illegally parked and inoperable vehicles.

“If you think of a city as an organism, neglected properties are like cancer cells,” Cameron said. “As they spread, they can even mass together like tumors. Any number of factors has caused the disease to spread, whether through foreclosure, lack of money, or persons making bad, and at times, criminal decisions. Whatever caused the problem, it must be dealt with for the health of Memphis and the whole region.”

Cameron said fighting environmental crime becomes more complicated every year, but Judge Larry Potter’s Environmental Court provides the city with a way to deal with the issue more quickly and effectively. People committing environmental crimes can be cited with ordinance violations or penalized with misdemeanor and felony charges depending on the nature of the offense.

“I don’t believe there is one solution to the cancer of blight attacking Memphis,” Cameron said. “If anything, the more people we have in the fight, the better. We all have a role to play.”

Categories
News The Fly-By

Memorandum of Understanding

When my wife and I got married two wonderful years ago, our rings signified we had our own “memorandum of understanding.” One of the clearest terms of our agreement was that if I cheated with another woman, I could, or make that would, be subject to bodily harm, as opposed to the offending paramour I might take up with. I have readily and wholeheartedly accepted that particular stipulation.

In a not so subtle way, it brings me to the recent public relations fiasco that transpired between Memphis Police Department (MPD) Director Toney Armstrong and Memphis Police Association (MPA) President Mike Williams. Within the space of 48 hours, both men argued, filed lawsuits against one another, and then “kissed and made up” at a hastily arranged news conference last week.

Their disagreement apparently stemmed from the ever-outspoken Williams taking issue with crime statistics indicating overall crime in the city was down. Williams asserted to a television reporter it wasn’t true. An irate Armstrong then filed disciplinary action against Williams, based on verbal misconduct, which led to the union president and two other MPA leaders being assigned back to their regular police beats. Within hours of the decision, MPA threatened a lawsuit. Despite backing from the administration of Mayor A C Wharton, Armstrong would later rescind his decision and reinstate Williams and the others back to their statuses as full-time union representatives. Before the media hordes, both men spoke of the need to engage in a joint mission to stand together in the common cause of crime fighting.

Where do I begin to express the sense of lunacy, displayed on both sides, that all of this entailed? First, by reported accounts, Armstrong apparently laid a trap for Williams by calling him into a meeting in response to a reporter’s baiting inquiries about Williams’ reaction to the statistics. True, he told the reporter he didn’t want any cameras to record the sensitive conversation. But why invite a reporter in at all? Could this not have been handled by inviting Williams to his office for a private conversation between two men who came up through the ranks together as colleagues? He had to have known it would make headlines. It’s like the old analogy about a man taking in a snake as a pet, and when the snake bites him he expresses surprise when the answer is “well, you knew I was a snake, and this is what I do!” Reporters are supposed to report.

As for Williams, his mea culpa statement during the news conference — alleging the media sparked a “tit for tat that inflated his comments” — is in a word, laughable. Consider the source.

Since taking over the reins as MPA president in April 2011 from the ineffectual leadership of J. D. Sewell, Williams’ self-determined “mission” has been to cast the Wharton administration as the “dark star” that’s taking direct aim at destroying city employee unions. In his efforts, fostered under the guise of full union approval, he’s pulled some outlandish and troubling displays of discontent. Not the least of which was last year’s MPA-sponsored billboard campaign warning visitors to enter the “dangerous” city of Memphis “at their own risk.” I don’t think in the annals of any other city’s history has such a foreboding message been as boldly plastered for public consumption.

In fact, that act alone might be construed as being in violation of the apparently flexible interpretation of the city’s Memorandum of Understanding with the police and fire unions. In January 1981, four years after the police and firefighter strikes of 1977, the Labor Law Journal, in citing the violent acts that had taken place during the eight-day strike, said the unions “had attempted to alter the structure of government by coercive means.” So, short of not making arrests, not issuing valid tickets, or not patrolling crime-riddled neighborhoods, could anything be more detrimental to the image of the city than telling people their lives are in danger if they come here?

Just as I have with my beloved, I know there is clarity to be had between MPD and MPA, based on one simple principle: Do the job you have sworn to do! The idea that a department and a union comprised of the same personnel can’t understand they share the common ground of ensuring the safety of more than 600,000 people is ludicrous. Your memo of understanding should have that printed in the biggest and boldest of letters.

Yeah, and it should be billboard size.

Categories
News News Blog

Reeds Jewelers Robbery Suspects Arrested in Houston

reeds.jpg

Three of the suspects responsible for robbing Reeds Jewelers inside Wolfchase Galleria for more than $530,000 worth of Rolex watches have been apprehended in Houston, Texas.

The suspects have been identified as Chadwick Bailey, 40; Andrew Penrice, 31; and Dalton Francis, 29. All three are residents of Houston. They’re currently awaiting extradition to Memphis.

Information on the suspects’ capture was disclosed during a press conference held Tuesday morning, February 11th, by the Memphis Police Department and District Attorney General’s Office at 201 Poplar. It was also revealed that there are two more suspects currently at large — Rodrick Walker, 34, and Maurice Williams, 26. Walker is presumed to be in Houston while Williams is believed to be in California. There’s also another individual that the MPD is considering to be “a person of interest,” according to MPD deputy director Anthony Berryhill.

Berryhill said evidence was obtained from the scene that led investigators to believe the suspects responsible for the heist were not local but actually residents of the Houston area. Although he couldn’t disclose what evidence led law enforcement to suspect that, it was revealed days after the heist took place that a cellphone, clothing and a couple sledge hammers were recovered at Wolfchase Galleria. It’s presumed that this evidence helped officers locate the suspects.

Berryhill said during the press conference that MPD investigators contacted Houston Police Department for assistance with its investigation. He said MPD investigators also traveled to Houston to continue their investigation into the case on February 5th.

“From the Memphis Police Department’s perspective, it’s always a great thing when we can come together with outside agencies and we can put a plan together and that plan works,” Berryhill said. “The collaboration with Houston, TX along with the Attorney General’s office here in Memphis has resulted in these arrests, and we’ll be looking forward to going forward when we get the other two people in custody.”

On January 18th, six men dressed in black with hoodies entered Reeds Jewelers inside Wolfchase. Four of the assailants carried sledgehammers, which they used to smash open jewelry showcases and retrieve $539,000 worth of Rolex watches. They subsequently fled the scene, leaving in two separate vehicles. They managed to commit the robbery and exit the store in less than a minute, according to Berryhill.

Berryhill said he couldn’t address if the suspects had any connection to Memphis, due to the investigation still being fresh. He also couldn’t comment on the possibility that the suspects have committed heists in other areas or if any of the watches were located on them at the time of their capture.

The date that the suspects will be extradited to Memphis wasn’t revealed during the press conference.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Wrongful Deaths?

On the night of January 11, 2013, 67-year-old Cordova resident Donald Moore ran for cover in his bedroom as he heard people forcing their way into his home.

Minutes before, a member of the Memphis Police Department’s (MPD) TACT Unit busted out a window of Moore’s home, throwing a flash-bang grenade inside. Other officers entered the back of his house, deploying additional grenades. Fearing for his life, Moore dialed 911.

Phillip Penny

“He is on the phone with 911 when Officer [Phillip] Penny shoots him,” said attorney Howard Manis. “He shot him with an M-4 Rifle three times at close range.”

Bullets from Penny’s assault rifle entered Moore’s neck, torso, and right shoulder, traveling into his chest and mortally wounding him. Penny would later allege that Moore pointed a gun at him and several Memphis Animal Services employees who were at his home to serve an animal cruelty warrant.

On behalf of the Moore family, Manis, along with attorney Jeffrey Rosenblum, has filed a $3 million wrongful death lawsuit against Penny, the MPD and its director Toney Armstrong, TACT Unit Commander Charles Morris, and the city of Memphis.

A week after Moore was shot and killed, 24-year-old Steven Askew fell asleep in his car at the Windsor Place Apartments on January 17th while waiting for his girlfriend to get off work.

Ned Aufdenkamp and Matthew Dyess

Two MPD officers, Ned Aufdenkamp and Matthew Dyess, noticed Askew asleep and, upon suspicion, approached the vehicle. The officers stated that as they got to the car’s window, they noticed a handgun in between Askew’s legs.

The officers tapped on the window while shining flashlights into the vehicle, awaking Askew. The officers stated they told Askew to raise his hands. Instead of complying with the requests, they allege Askew threw some “gang signs” before arming himself with the handgun and pointing it at them. The officers reacted by discharging their weapons, leaving Askew’s car riddled with bullet holes, nine of which fatally entered his back, arms, and the back of his neck.

Manis and Rosenblum are representing the Askew family, which has filed a wrongful death lawsuit amounting to $3 million in damages as well.

“We need to focus on what they did and their explanations and then determine whether or not those were part of a policy procedure or their deviations from that,” Manis said.

Officers Aufdenkamp, Dyess, and Penny were relieved of duty with pay during the investigation into their shootings. No criminal charges were filed against the officers, and the MPD’s homicide bureau declared both shootings justifiable. All officers remain employed with the department.

A month before the fatal shootings of Moore and Askew, MPD officer Martoiya Lang was murdered as she served a search warrant on December 14, 2012.

Manis questions whether there was additional training and counseling provided to circumvent problems that could arise as a result of the MPD being on “heightened alert” after Lang’s death.

In addition to providing both the Moore and Askew families with some relief for their loss, Manis said he hopes the lawsuits spark a change in how the MPD trains its officers on the appropriate timing to exhibit excessive force.

“These are two people who died at the hands of those who have been sworn to serve and protect, and neither were committing crimes,” Manis said. “One was in his home and the other was in his car, and now they’re dead. And they were killed as a direct result of police officer conduct.”

At press time, Manis was still awaiting a response from the defendants named in the lawsuits. The MPD did not respond to the Flyer‘s request for comment.

Categories
News News Blog

Memphis Crime Rate Declines In 2013

1360004450-cop_car.jpg

Over the 2013 calendar year, Memphis witnessed a 4.5 percent reduction in “part one” crimes, which include criminal homicides, robberies, forcible rapes, and aggravated assaults.

From January 1st – December 31st, 2013, there were 2,313 fewer victims of part one crimes reported as opposed to 2012, according to Memphis Police Department statistics. In 2012, there were 50,917 part one crimes that took place in Memphis. However, these numbers dropped by 4.5 percent to 48,604 crimes last year.

Among the part one offenses that have decreased include criminal homicide. There were 11 fewer criminal homicides in 2013 compared to 2012, which is a 7.9 percent decline. Also, there were 71 fewer forcible rapes in 2013 compared to 2012, which is nearly a 17 percent decrease.

Other part one crimes that declined in 2013 include robbery, which saw a 7.5 percent reduction; aggravated assault, which was reduced by 5.9 percent; burglary, which saw a 5.3 percent reduction; and motor vehicle theft was reduced by 8.7 percent.

“We do not believe that these reductions could have been realized without the hard work of our officers utilizing crime fighting and efficiency promoted by the department,” said MPD spokeswoman Karen Rudolph in a statement. “These methods include our Community Outreach Program (COP), Blue CRUSH, Precinct realignment and the movement of General Investigation Bureaus back to the precincts. All of these initiatives have worked hand-in-hand to accomplish the city’s success in reducing crime.”

Since 2006, the city has experienced a 29 percent reduction of part one crimes. There were nearly 20,000 fewer victims in 2013 (48,604) than 2006 (68,543).

Categories
Calling the Bluff Music

Knowledge Nick Speaks On Trolley Night Cypher Incident

CREDIT: Dustin Taylor/Sideways Media

Dustin Taylor/Sideways Media

Local hip-hop artist Nick “Knowledge Nick” Hicks didn’t anticipate that when he organized the October installment of the popular “Trolley Night Cypher Series” event last Friday, it would be ended by angry Memphis police officers holding night-sticks and pepper spray.

On Friday, October 25th, Hicks and around 50 other folks gathered in front of the K’PreSha clothing boutique in the South Main Arts District to participate in the cypher (an event that involves people freestyling one after another). The event followed the South Main Art District’s monthly Art Trolley Tour Night, during which art galleries and shops offer art shows and other special events such as live entertainment.

Hicks said everything appeared to be going fine until around 10:30 p.m. (past the usual Trolly Night hours of 6 to 9 p.m.) when MPD officers approached K’PreSha and requested for the group to end the cypher in an aggressive manner. He said the officers didn’t explain why they wanted them to end the gathering initially. But subsequent to onlookers beginning to record the incident with their phones, the officers stated that they had received a noise complaint.

“First the police officers were like ‘You guys need to get on the sidewalk.’ Once we got on the sidewalk, everybody started pulling out their phones and filming,” Hicks said. “Once we started doing that, they started telling us that we need to leave or get inside K’PreSha.”

Shortly after the officers requested for them to end the cypher, one of its participants jokingly made a comment that the officers didn’t take too kindly.

“My partner, he was just playing. He was like, ‘Let me see your license and registration,’” Hicks said. “The police got mad, super aggressive, and they tried to arrest my partner. Another guy was out there trying to break up the police and [my friend], and the police were roughing the dude up. They were manhandling him, and they pushed him against the car.”

When the commotion ended, two people had been arrested and many more were upset and in disbelief at the way MPD officers handled the situation. Hicks said he believes that the MPD didn’t like that there was a crowd of predominantly black people doing hip-hop. He believes the situation would have panned out differently if they were indulging in another genre of music or the crowd was more diverse.

“I’ve seen police brutality and harassment on TV, but seeing it and experiencing it in person, you have no idea how much of an experience it was,” Hicks said. “It was so tough to watch, and we almost felt like black kids in the ’60s. These people brought nightsticks out, and we were unarmed. They used pepper spray, but for what reason? My thing was, we’re unarmed people at a positive event, and you guys come here [and act] aggressively. You come here [and act] defensively. And then you come here [and act] hostile. And all this was caused by you guys. There were like 13 police cars down there and like 15 or 20 cops for this whole ordeal, but this was because we were rapping. We were just rapping.”

Hicks is determined to bring awareness to MPD’s conduct. He organized a town hall meeting at K’PreSha the Sunday following the event to make his peers more aware of the rights they can exercise if they encounter a similar situation with law enforcement. The media was invited to the meeting, camera phone-captured videos of the incident were shown, and some of those who were in attendance at the cypher expressed their thoughts.

Video footage of the occurrence has also been featured on several local media outlets. And Hicks has even had a candid conversation with Lt. Dale Hensley of the South Main Police Station about the incident.

“I told him the situation should have been handled differently,” Hicks said. “‘All of the ruckus was caused by you guys. You brought all these cops out here, all these cars out here, to arrest two people just because we were rapping and expressing ourselves. Clearly, [videos] show we weren’t being rowdy. And clearly, it was a peaceful event, but you guys came out here causing hell.’”

Hicks said although Lt. Hensley provided him with a verbal apology on behalf of the officers, he won’t be satisfied until the MPD provides a written statement that both conveys their regret for their conduct and accountability for their actions. He thinks this will potentially lower the chances of a similar situation taking place in the future.

“When I think about Friday night, I think about the two hours of everybody having fun, doing their thing, and people just coming and watching,” Hicks said. “But at the same time too, it’s like, we’re still fighting this oppression from the police force. As hip-hop artists or artists in general, we are a voice for the voiceless and now we have to go another step to do the same thing when it comes to this issue right here and really push the boundary and be a voice for the voiceless who have experienced this, or may be afraid to step up, or just lost hope. The same logic I have with music, I’m using to parallel it with getting a change done with this situation.”

Visit my website: ahumblesoul.com
Follow me on Twitter: @Lou4President
Friend me on Facebook: Louis Goggans