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A complaint against the Greensboro Police Department alleges that officers racially profiled four, young black men out for a night on the town in downtown Greensboro on Sept. 10, 2016, and then unnecessarily escalated tension resulting in the Tasing of one of the men, and the arrest of all four. Filed on Aug. 24, 2017.
A complaint against the Greensboro Police Department alleges that officers racially profiled four, young black men out for a night on the town in downtown Greensboro on Sept. 10, 2016, and then unnecessarily escalated tension resulting in the Tasing of one of the men, and the arrest of all four. Filed on Aug. 24, 2017.
A complaint against the Greensboro Police Department alleges that officers racially profiled four, young black men out for a night on the town in downtown Greensboro on Sept. 10, 2016, and then unnecessarily escalated tension resulting in the Tasing of one of the men, and the arrest of all four. Filed on Aug. 24, 2017.
RESEIVED AUG 2 4 op7
ZARED KINAH JONE'S COMPLAINT AGAINST THE FOLLOWING GREENSBORO
POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS:
SA ALVAREZ,
JM CHAVEZ
CORPORAL JOHNSON
OFFICER WHITE
SERGEANT FLOWERS
AND OTHER GPD OFFICERS AND OTHER "BIKE SQUAD" /"STREET TEAM" GPD
OFFICERS ALL TO BE NAMED WHEN THEIR IDENTITIES BECOME KNOWN
On the evening of September 10, 2016, Zared Kinah Jones and three friends (all young black
men) drove to downtown Greensboro anticipating a fun night out on the town, Zared had
worked all week at his job in the medical field and was looking forward to hanging out with his
three friends. This night was one of the rare occurrences when they all had the free time to go
out together.
When they arrived downtown they parked on South Elm Street near Cheesecakes by Alex and
stood there by the car for a while discussing where they should go. But before they could decide
on a destination, five or more police officers approached on bicycles and surrounded them. The
officers began aggressively asking questions about what they were doing and where they were
going. Naturally alarmed and confused as to why officers would question them for merely
standing on a sidewalk, the four friends responded by asking the officers why were they were
questioning them. The officers said that they were the "street team" and that it was their job to
{g0 Out into the community and question people. ‘The officers then dispersed and Zared and his
friends, while very disturbed by what had just transpired, but thinking the worst was behind
them, and still wanting to have a good night, walked south down Elm Street to find a place to go.
Zared and one friend, walking a little ahead of the other two, decided to go to a bar called The
Boiler Room on McGee Street. The friend was denied entry because he was wearing sweatpants,
but Zared was allowed entry and proceeded into the bar alone. Once inside, Zared, approached
the bar and asked the bartender for a beer and handed her some money. She took his money and
told him he would need to pay more for a beer and walked away without returning his money.
Zared stood by the bar for approximately ten minutes trying to get the bartenders attention before
a bouncer approached him and asked him if there was a problem. Zared said the bartender
wouldn’t serve him and asked to speak to the manager. Another bouncer then grabbed Zared
from behind in a choke hold and dragged him outside onto sidewalk adjacent to McGee street.
Once outside, having just been assaulted in the Boiler Room, Zared spotted a police officer,
namely, Corporal Johnson, standing across the street. Zared approached Corporal Johnson and
explained to him that he had just been assaulted in the Boiler Room and needed help and
possibly wanted to press charges. Corporal Johnson asked for Zared's LD., which Zared
provided, and then, carrying Zared's ILD. in his hand, went into the Boiler Room to investigate.Zared, from across the street, saw that his three friends were standing nearby on the sidewalk in
front of the Boiler Room and that they again had been surrounded by the same “street team * that
had questioned them earlier in the evening by the car. Zared crossed the street and asked
Corporal Jenkins if something was wrong and tried to explain that his friends were there with
him and he was waiting for Corporal Johnson who was inside the bar with his LD. investigating
his complaint. Multiple officers surrounded the four friends as they all began to attempt to.
explain that they were legally standing on the sidewalk and waiting for Zared to get his LD.
back. ‘The Officers stood in front of the four friends and blocked passage down the sidewalk in
front of the Boiler Room. Corporal Johnson asked Zared to wait in the street and Zared
complied and backed up into the street while Corporal Johnson continued his investigation.
At this point, things began to escalate as a number of officers arrived and inserted themselves
into the situation. One such officer, Sergeant Flowers, arrived on a bicycle and threw his bicycle
down and rushed up to the door of the Boiler Room and rushed back and said that Zared and his
three friends had all been kicked out of the bar and told them all they had to leave. Zared again
explained that Corporal Johnson had his LD. and was investigating what happened to him in the
Boiler Room and explained that he, Zared, was the only one that went in the bar and that his
friends couldn’t have been kicked out of bar they had never entered. Sergeant Flowers then,
without waming or reason, grabbed Zared by the arm and slammed a handcuff down on Zared's
wrist. Zared's friend, exasperated by what was happening to Zared, then made a swiping motion
at Sergeant Flower's hand and asked, "what are you doing!?” Officer $ A Alverez, who also had
just inserted himself into the situation after Zared asked for help, thrust his hands into Zared's
friend's back and violently shoved him forward. The friend reacted by turning around swinging
a fist at his unseen attacker. The friend was then brutally beaten. He was thrown against a car
and picked up by both ankles which caused his face to slam against the sidewalk. The friend
then got to his feet long enough to plead for an explanation before three or more officers
simultaneously tased him, He fell to the ground screaming and shaking in violent fits as the
electricity from the tasers surged through his body.
Officer Alverez then took Zared to the jail and charged him with Second Degree Trespass and
for being Intoxicated and Disruptive. The warrant further alleged that Zared "appeared
intoxicated” and “interfered with passage across a sidewalk". As the charging officer, and in
light of the actual facts, Officer Alverez committed perjury when he swore under oath that Zared
did the things enumerated in the warrant.
The charges against Zared were dismissed on May 24, 2017. For eight months Zared went to
court date after court date, sometimes sitting in the courtroom for multiple hours, fearing for his
job and his future.
The harassment of Zared and his friends began as soon as they arrived downtown and continued
until they were finally beaten and arrested. In Zared's case, he was arrested because he made the
mistake of asking a police officer for help.
Zared wants an apology. He wants the City to do the right thing and hold the officers in the
Greensboro Police Department accountable. His hope is that, ifthe police are held accountable,
they will stop terrorizing black people. He wants the GPD to admit publicly that his arrest wasillegal. That his constitutional rights were violated. That he was arrested because of the color of
his skin, Zared also wants the City of Greensboro to follow all the recommendations enumerated
by the The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in it's report on the 1979 Greensboro
Massacre. Zared wants peace and justice.
x
Attomey for Zared Kinah Jones
PO Box 41023
—_ NC 27404