The arrest of a black motorist in Salisbury has drawn sharp criticism from the local NAACP. Delmarva Public Media's Kevin Diaz looks into the incident in which the motorist was initially stopped for running a stop sign but ended up with demands by police to do a dog search for drugs.
RUSH: The drug search and disorderly conduct arrest of an African-American motorist who ran a stop sign in Salisbury recently, has sparked outrage in the black community. They feel it is an example of being racially targeted by law enforcement. Delmarva Public Media's Kevin Diaz looked into the incident.
DIAZ: It started with a routine traffic stop for rolling through a stop sign in downtown Salisbury. It ended with an arrest for disorderly conduct and the driver being cuffed and carted off to jail. Details are fuzzy on how it escalated to that point, but both the Salisbury Police Department and the Wicomico NAACP say they are seeking answers. Meanwhile, a video of the arrest has gone viral on social media capturing, just shy of 20 minutes of the encounter on December 2nd involving Keonte "Pep" Bratten, a black resident of Salisbury, and several city police officers who converged on his car. It was that video that brought out an angry group of people to City Hall Monday night. The video captures the moments after officers first confronted Bratten, who was driving home at night with his two sons, ages five and thirteen. It's clear once the video starts, that the officers have decided to run a canine or drug dog around the car.
UNNAMED OFFICER: "Hey, my man, you want to put the windows up for me? Just go ahead and step out for me.
BRATTEN: "For what?"
UNNAMED OFFICER: "Sit up. We're going to do a [scan]...yes that's whats going on..."
BRATTEN: "Man you're not doing no scan on my vehicle...ain't no scan going on in this vehicle."
DIAZ: Brantten continues to object, loudly, noting that he is traveling home with his two young children.
BRATTEN: "You ain't got no proper cause to run no dog around my vehicle, period. You ain't got no cause to pull me out my vehicle. I'm not stepping out."
DIAZ: The standoff continues as residents start to gather in the street, where several more squad cars are now visible.
UNNAMAMED OFFICER: "All you have to do is step out, it's that simple."
BRATTEN: "Man for what? Give me your proper cause of why you want me to step out of the vehicle."
DIAZ: Police have given no public explanation yet for the reason for their drug search. The video just records the officers on the scene insisting that Bratten step out of his car. When he refuses, they pull him out.
UNNAMED OFFICER: "If you're not stepping out, you're going to get forced out. Okay? That's what's going on."
BRATTEN: "That's what you want."
UNNAMED OFFICER: "Step out."
BRATTEN: "I'm not.. so you're going to violate my right?"
UNNAMED OFFICER: Step out of the car.
BRATTEN: "You can't cuff me, what he cuffing me for?"
UNNAMED OFFICER: "You're being detained."
BRATTEN: "Detained? I'm recording!"
DIAZ: The footage was apparently filmed by Bratten's 13-year-old son. The standoff continues with the police canine sniffing around the car over Bratten's increasingly strenuous, loud and angry objections. Police have not alleged that any drugs were found. But Bratten was arrested nonetheless – for being disorderly. The NAACP and others in the community say the incident is a disturbing reminder of the fear that pervades many in the black community who feel targeted by law enforcement.
BROOKS: So the drug search, there was absolutely no cause for that.
DIAZ: That's Monica Brooks, president of the Wicomico NAACP.
BROOKS: So it looks like a series of events that seem unusual for your average citizen. And in addition, the fact that it was not deescalated.
DIAZ: They didn't find any drugs. They're not alleging they found any drugs on him right?
BROOKS: Absolutely not.
DIAZ: Some wonder also if there was a racial element to the drug search.
BROOKS: There are different circumstances involved when you have a black man who gets arrested and has marks on his record, especially one who had a previous past many, many years ago. Well over a decade.
DIAZ: Bratten, recently widowed, is a father of four. He is a business owner, truck driver, and a well-known figure in the Black community. In response to the video, which prompted an outpouring of support for Bratten, Salisbury police issued a statement saying they are conducting a review of the incident to see if proper procedures were followed. The results are pending. For Delmarva Public Media, this is Kevin Diaz reporting..
