By Isabelle Wilson-
A black pastor in the U.S was arrested whilst watering flowers, it has been revealed.
Michel Jennings was watering flowers in a front garden in Alabama when he was approached by a police officer asking what he was doing.
Within five minutes, the Rev Michael Jennings, 56, a pastor at the local Vision of Abundant Life church, had been handcuffed and placed in a police vehicle, under arrest for “obstructing governmental operations”.
Cops charged him with obstructing government operations after he refused to provide physical ID beyond his pronouncement.
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Cops can be heard asking the neighbour who called them, now knows as Amanda, does he have permission to be watering flowers?’ police asked the woman.
She responded: ‘He may because they are friends, and they went out of town today and he may be watering their flowers. It would be completely normal.’
She later added: ‘This is probably my fault.’
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Jennings told the New York Times he intended to file a lawsuit for unlawful arrest next week.
“I’m not anti-police, we need our police,” he said. “We just need good police.”
Footage of the arrest captured on the police officer’s body camera revealed the man identifying himself as “Pastor Jennings”, adding that he lived across the road.
Cops told him that an anonymous neighbour had made a 911 call reporting “suspicious” activity outside the house of the resident who had gone out of town.
“They say you are not supposed to be here,” the officer said.
“I’m supposed to be here,” Jennings replied. “I’m looking after their house while they’re gone, looking after their flowers.” Jennings did not state whether the neighbour had asked him to look after their flowers in their absence, or whether he was doing this off his
When asked to show identification Jennings, declined, cognizant of Alabama law which permits officers to stop a person in a public place and demand ID, if they suspect a felony or other public offense has been committed.
“You have no right to approach me, I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said. “If you want to lock me up, lock me up, I’m going to continue watering these flowers.”
The officer replied: “Look man, just calm down.”
The officer can be heard telling a fellow officer through his walkie-talkie: “We’ve got one that’s not listening to us.”
“You are racial profiling,” he told the officer, as he was taken to the police car in hand cuffs.
“We are not racial profiling,” the officer said. “No sir, we’re not about that.”
There is no evidence the officer was racial profiling, having been called by a neighbour, who may have been racial profiling, or who may have just been suspicious at the sight of a stranger being in the garden of someone who was away. Watering someone’s garden is no criminal offence, neither is it listed on Alabama law as a felony.
Jennings’ attorney called the move “irrational, irresponsible, and illegal” and said the footage corroborated any basis for “legal action against the officers and more,” he told NPR.
This video makes it clear that these officers decided they were going to arrest Pastor Jennings less than five minutes after pulling up and then tried to rewrite history, claiming he hadn’t identified himself, when that was the first thing he did,” Atlanta-based civil rights attorney Harry Daniels, who is representing Jennings, told NPR.
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