Apparently, being a US combat veteran is not enough to be respected by the police in America. If you are the “wrong color”, you are a suspect.
Those are the views of Keith Niblack served twice in Iraq and once in Afghanistan as part of the US military efforts in the tumultuous regions.
“If you’re African-American, you’re going to be profiled,” Niblack said.
It is no surprise that the former military man has made these comments. He has faced humiliation and disgrace at the hands of six police officers and there is video evidence to prove it.
Niblack and his friend Branden Ocasio were waiting to be picked up outside the Apopka Cricket store at around 11pm, when a female police officer approached them wanting to know why they were outside a cell phone store it at night.
In the footage, one of the men explains that they are waiting for their ride from their boss to go to work.
She continues questioning them. The man even says that they understand she is doing her job, but there is no reason to persecute them because they weren’t even looking towards the closed store.
The brash police officer is then seen speaking into her wireless to call her supervisor. In her message she refers to them as “two black males”. She then turns to tell them that a senior is on the way to talk to the duo, one of them says they will be gone by the time he arrives. However, the cop says: “No you won’t be”.
Shortly after three police cars are seen pulling up. Police officers pour out and much to the pair’s shock they throw Nablack the ground and toss Ocasio’s phone away. This is where the video ends.
Niblack says one of the policemen berated him when he told them he was the war veteran.
“He was like, ‘No, you’re not a vet. You’re a punk. You’re a *deleted word*, you’re a coward’, ” he said.
By snatching Ocasio’s phone and refusing to let him film the incident, the police officer violated his first Amendment rights.
All six officers involved are under investigation.
This is an indication that police officers sometimes think they are above the law. In the words of Nablick they need better training.
One would hope that racial profiling was not a reality; unfortunately that is not the case. Anyone can be a victim. If you find yourself in a situation where you are being targeted by a member of law enforcement and unfairly, some police accountability organizations say that your best option is to say: “I’m going to remain silent. I would like to see a lawyer”. This might come in extremely handy if you get arrested.
There is another lesson to be learned. It depends on what a police officer says when you ask: “am I being detained?”. If they say no, some accountability organizations suggest that you can walk away, or if they say yes, you may be within your rights to invoke the 5th Amendment.
The moral of the story is – know your rights to protect them.
Watch the video below:
