Cigar
10-01-2013, 10:57 AM
Hollywood actors Cherie Johnson and Dennis White say they were improperly stopped by police, put in handcuffs and harshly questioned during a recent weekend getaway in South Carolina. They claim the incident took place because of their race.
"It hurts me more that telling the story, other people are not surprised," Johnson said in an interview on HLN's" Showbiz Tonight" on Monday. "They're not shocked about what we went through. So many people have gone through it, too. I don't understand how come they haven't fought it and how come they just let it go."
Johnson, best known for her roles in TV shows "Punky Brewster" and "Family Matters," and White, from the movie "Notorious," are speaking out about their treatment by a Marion County sheriff's deputy on September 22.
"I've been stopped by the police before, but I've never been fearful for my life," Johnson said on Sunday. "They need some kind of sensitivity training."
snip ...
According to White's account, Officer Shad Barfield told Johnson there was a warrant for her arrest, which she disputed, and the officer later recanted. He handcuffed White and then Johnson but did not arrest them.
"After he told me that I did not have a warrant for my arrest, and he started asking me about drugs for the third time, I said, 'Are you doing this because we're black?'" Johnson told HLN. "And that was when everything took a turn for the worst. He patted the car, he walked back to his car, he put on gloves. The next thing I knew, he was handcuffing Dennis."
"He told me ... I was being detained for his safety because he didn't know me," Johnson said.
"At this time I became distraught," White wrote in his account of the incident. "I have been racially profiled several times in my lifetime but it touched my core when my woman was included."
snip ...
It was Johnson's first experience being handcuffed. Several of her family members work in law enforcement, Johnson said, adding that she's "never been afraid of cops or had bad opinions of them."
This time was different.
After thoroughly searching the car, the officer removed the handcuffs and let the couple go.
"No apology, no nothing," White wrote.
White says he won't stop talking about the incident until "that racist cop" is reprimanded and punished.
"We've been conditioned to just think that it's OK -- that we have to just sweep it under the rug," White told HLN. "But we're not doing that no more. We're fighting."
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/30/showbiz/cherie-johnson-dennis-white-police-irpt/
It's 2013 ... an I don't care what part of American you're in ... this type of crap is coming to an end. At one point ... soon ... someone going to get tired an stand their ground and not except this type of treatment anymore.
Personally I respect police Officers, it's a difficult thankless job that they don't get paid enough for, my father was once a State Policeman, is was only because of racism internally in the department that father quit. I was taught, respect is earned and not for free.
"It hurts me more that telling the story, other people are not surprised," Johnson said in an interview on HLN's" Showbiz Tonight" on Monday. "They're not shocked about what we went through. So many people have gone through it, too. I don't understand how come they haven't fought it and how come they just let it go."
Johnson, best known for her roles in TV shows "Punky Brewster" and "Family Matters," and White, from the movie "Notorious," are speaking out about their treatment by a Marion County sheriff's deputy on September 22.
"I've been stopped by the police before, but I've never been fearful for my life," Johnson said on Sunday. "They need some kind of sensitivity training."
snip ...
According to White's account, Officer Shad Barfield told Johnson there was a warrant for her arrest, which she disputed, and the officer later recanted. He handcuffed White and then Johnson but did not arrest them.
"After he told me that I did not have a warrant for my arrest, and he started asking me about drugs for the third time, I said, 'Are you doing this because we're black?'" Johnson told HLN. "And that was when everything took a turn for the worst. He patted the car, he walked back to his car, he put on gloves. The next thing I knew, he was handcuffing Dennis."
"He told me ... I was being detained for his safety because he didn't know me," Johnson said.
"At this time I became distraught," White wrote in his account of the incident. "I have been racially profiled several times in my lifetime but it touched my core when my woman was included."
snip ...
It was Johnson's first experience being handcuffed. Several of her family members work in law enforcement, Johnson said, adding that she's "never been afraid of cops or had bad opinions of them."
This time was different.
After thoroughly searching the car, the officer removed the handcuffs and let the couple go.
"No apology, no nothing," White wrote.
White says he won't stop talking about the incident until "that racist cop" is reprimanded and punished.
"We've been conditioned to just think that it's OK -- that we have to just sweep it under the rug," White told HLN. "But we're not doing that no more. We're fighting."
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/30/showbiz/cherie-johnson-dennis-white-police-irpt/
It's 2013 ... an I don't care what part of American you're in ... this type of crap is coming to an end. At one point ... soon ... someone going to get tired an stand their ground and not except this type of treatment anymore.
Personally I respect police Officers, it's a difficult thankless job that they don't get paid enough for, my father was once a State Policeman, is was only because of racism internally in the department that father quit. I was taught, respect is earned and not for free.