Boulder, Colorado, police are under fire once again following the arrest of a cane-holding activist who filmed officers interacting with transient people.
The victim, 26-year-old Sammie Lawrence, was arrested Friday afternoon for refusing to unhand his cane. According to The Denver Post, Boulder officer Waylon Lolotai was on patrol when he saw three men "lounging around a large pile of property and trash.”
He approached the trio and asked for their IDs.
Lawrence approached the men and Lolotai with his cane in hand. The Post states the officer asked the activist to step away from the scene.
Although Lolotai made the command, he reportedly wrote in his report that it was OK if Lawrence wanted to film the interaction between the transient group. The officer noticed the walking stick and told the onlooker to drop the cane because Lolotai allegedly assumed it was a weapon of some nature. However, Lawrence refused.
The Daily Camera reports Lawrence utilized the walking stick to keep balance. He told the outlet he has had issues with seizures and needed the cane to stay on his feet.
Two more officers arrived on the scene and commanded him to move back. When the cameraman failed to do so, the officers violently subdued him.
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Video footage from the incident posted on Facebook Sunday showed the police roughing up Lawrence as he screams assault. Police took him to a local medical facility where he was cleared to be transported to Boulder County Jail.
He was arrested for obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest. Lawrence was released on bond, but the transient men he defended were also reprimanded. One was arrested for assaulting a victim with a bat, and the other two were ticketed for fighting.
Within the last month, the Boulder Police Department has come under fire for harassing two Black citizens for seemingly no reason. The first instance occurred in March when several police officers approached a 26-year-old student for picking up trash on his yard. He was ultimately left alone but said the experience left him suffering from anxiety, depression and sleeplessness.
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