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“Another Black Statistic”
A war on friendly grounds
I'm a soldier stationed at Ft. Jackson, SC and I work in the hospital. I have been fighting for my country for 9 yrs. My wife also served and she fought in Iraq with the 212th MASH. She was a medic in the U.S. Army. On Oct 24, 2005, my wife and I were jumped by Richland County officers in front of our own home. This is the story.
I was on my way home from work, still in my military uniform, and I followed a police officer going towards my house. I thought he lived in my apartment complex. As we went around the loop we made eye contact. I acknowledge him by nodding my head. I pulled into my parking space and rolled up my windows and began to walk toward my house. Just as I was about to put my key in to the door I hear the sound of a car peeling off. I turn around and saw the officer yelling “HEY YOU, HEY YOU”, trying to get my attention. So I turn around and asked the officer how I could help him. He told me he was there for a Noise Violation. I told him that it couldn’t have been me because I just got home and, plus I have an officer who lives above me. He then asked for my license and registration. I gave the officer what he asked for. The officer replied, “WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS”? I told him that I just got back from Germany and I lost my original picture license and this is my paper license from Alaska. I said, “If you look I still German tags on my car” and then said, “Dude Calm down” because he was Yelling at me. The Officer got MAD and told me that I would not address him As “Dude” because he is a Richland County Officer of the Law. I said “you addressed me by ‘Hey YOU’”. He said “that’s because I don't know your name”. I replied “I don't know your name either”. I could see him getting mad and the next thing I know he slammed me down on the ground face first. I didn't know that my police officer neighbor’s mother was watching from the stairs at the time. The mother went down stairs and got my wife. While she was doing that, Officer Fields handcuffed one of my hands and started punching me in the face and kicking and kneeing me in my stomach. He took out his mace and start spraying it in my face. I used my free hand to cover my face so it wouldn't get into my eyes, and I held my breath just like the military taught me to do when you encounter these situations. Because I didn't react like the normal person Officer Fields asked me if I was on drugs and became more violent. My wife ran out of the apt and asked, “what are you doing to my husband”? I yell out to my wife to stay calm and run up stairs to get the officer that lives above us. Officers Fields then began making all of these racist comments towards me. Talking about how he was “GLAD THAT JOHNNY COCKRAN IS DEAD, THAT I'M NOTHING BUT ANOTHER BLACK STATISTIC. HOW HE WAS GOING TO RUIN MY CAREER. WELCOME THE SOUTH AND THAT HE IS RICHLAND COUNTY AND THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING”. My wife ran into the house and came out with her camera phone and started taking pictures of the situation. (The picture you see if from her phone). A crowd began to draw and Deputy Fields began to panic. He got on his radio and starts screaming they he needs help and I heard him ask for them to make sure they bring a teaser gun. Within minutes all these officer arrive to the scene (Which all happen to be white). Deputy Fields yells out “get her black ass, she has pictures of me” and Officer Clarke, who is a 230 pound man, runs to my wife and throws her up against a car in the parking lot and puts her in a full nelson. My wife dropped her cell phone. He then handcuffed her, picked her up by her arms and slammed her into the ground face first. Another neighbor watching the situation ran out and screamed “Oh God, what are you doing to them?!” Another officer yells out “if you don't get you black ass back then I'm going to take you to jail too”. Three different officers frisked my wife after she was detained. THEY DIDN’T FRISK HER WITH THE BACKS OF THEIR HANDS, BUT WITH THE FRONT, AS IF THEY WERE FEELING HER UP. I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. I FELT LIKE WASIN THE MOVIE CRASH! I was unable to help, unable to do anything for my wife. I was horrified! How could they do this to her? I could do nothing but sit there and watch them. At that moment, all I could do was pray and trust in GOD. I started to yell out to her that GOD is going to take care of us and not to worry. I kept repeating that GOD is going to work everything out!
They put us in separate police cars. They called EMS because Officers Fields use a whole can of mace on me! I told EMS that I didn't want them to touch me or my wife. Finally the neighbor came home (she is a black officer) they wouldn't let us speak to her. I asked if I can have my wife’s camera phone because I know my wife took at least 10 pictures of the situation. (INTERESTINGLY NONE OF POLICE CAR CAMERA'S WHERE ON, AND NONE OF THE VOICE RECORDINGS WHERE WORKING IN ANY OF THE 6 POLICE CARS). (I thought when police reports to a situation like that, they turn on the camera and voice recordings for everyone's protection!) Another officer told me that we would have to delete all of the pictures for us to get the phone back. I told him we were not going to delete the pictures, so he kept my phone. So they took my wife's phone illegally and deleted pictures from it. We now only have 2 pictures from the situation. While I was sitting in the back of the police car, officer Fields is bragging about how he kicked my ASS! So they sat out there for about and hour getting their story together. Then they took us to the front of the apt and the patty wagon came. I got in 1st and again officer Fields made the comment about how he's glad Johnny Cochran is dead!(He admits to it in a internal affairs report) Well this time the police who was driving the patty wagon over heard him and that officer told us he would write a statement regarding those comments. Also when my wife was put into the patty wagon, I overheard an officer say “we are going to take you to a hotel”
What I’ve done… I have proof, documenting the entire situation. We still haven't been to court; we have a 2 Lawyers Mr. John Mobley (Criminal) and Mr. Chris Mills (Civil)). I have written my Congressman Don Young from Alaska and he has taken me off my official Army orders to go to Korea until my wife in I go to trial. I have an internal affairs report were the deputy admits to making racial comments. My wife and I were facing charges of a Noise Violation, Disturbance of the Peace, and Assault on an Officer while resisting Arrest! Well, the Noise Violation and the Disturbance of the Peace charges has been drop. Also in the internal Affairs Report, Deputy Fields admits that his radio was off, which is proof in my favor that there was no noise violation or Disturbance of the Peace so he has no reason to arrest me in the first place.. What we found out is the Deputy was in our neighbor looking for a “white male flashing little kids”. Why he stopped a black man in military uniform for a supposed noise violation is beyond me. So what we are fighting now is the Assault on an officer while resisting arrest.
Right now, because of Deputy Fields racial discrimination, I am flagged by the Army from being promoted or reenlisting, I am unable to receive awards, I am unable to be recognized for my hard work, I am unable to get a security clearance to change my MOS, I can not fight for custody for my son because I am facing a felony, I now have a sleep disorder and being seeing for PTSD, my wife is unable to get a job as a nurse if she has a felony, we had to move because of the traumatic experience and memories we had there, and we are pending outrageous bills to fight for our rights. Please call me if you can help, if you want more information, or have suggestions on how we can continue to fight for our rights. I have copies of the exact statements that the police have, so no one can edit what really happened to us.
We tried to be peaceful and wait on the court system to clear our name, but now with the increasing amount of similar cases coming forward, we know it’s time to speak out. PLEASE HELP US. WE HAVE DEFENDED OUR COUNTRY FAITHFULLY AND WE JUST WANT OUR COUNTRY TO DO THE SAME FOR US!
Carlos Martin
Ft. Jackson, SC
Posted on: 4/25/2008
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