A federal civil rights complaint was filed by a black pastor in Alabama who was detained while tending to his neighbor’s flowers after the ‘racist’ cops who saw him apprehended him in’moments’.
Following a report of a strange guy and car on the property, Childersburg, Alabama police detained Pastor Michael Jennings outside his neighbor’s yard in May.
The lawsuit, according to the New York Daily News, alleges that Jennings was wrongfully detained and seeks unspecified monetary damages. A jury trial is being requested by his attorneys.
On Saturday, Jennings held a press conference in front of the Birmingham federal courthouse and declared: “I am here today for there to be some responsibility.” Not seeking retaliation. I’m here to demand justice and accountability.
A GoFundMe has been established by the pastor’s son, Michael, who also claims that his father had to close the church since it had a small congregation to begin with. They have raised roughly $2,600 so far.
After attending Sunday worship, Jennings was seen in the video watering the flowers with a hose. He informed the police that a trusted neighbor had requested him to take care of his shrubbery while he was away.
Nevertheless, despite his good intentions and the support of other locals, including a white neighbor, Jennings was arrested, charged with obstructing government operation, and had to pay $500 bond to be released.
A black pastor who was handcuffed while watering his neighbor’s flowers filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the ‘racist’ police who arrested him within ‘moments’ of seeing him
Pastor Michael Jennings (pictured right) was arrested in May outside his neighbor’s yard in Childersburg, Alabama, after police received a complaint about a strange man and vehicle on the property
The suit claims Jennings – who preaches at Vision of Abundant Life Ministries in Sylacauga – was falsely arrested and an unspecified amount of money, according to the New York Daily News. His lawyers are requesting a jury trial
The pastor’s son, also named Michael (pictured left), has started a GoFundMe , claiming his dad has had to shut down his church and he didn’t have a big congregation to begin with. They have so far raised about $2,600
After insisting that he was just calmly gardening in the front yard, police asked Jennings: ‘How do we know that’s the truth?’
The baffled pastor, who lives in the house across the street, responded: ‘I had the water hose in my hand! I was watering the flowers.’
Body camera footage showed three officers from Childersburg Police Department screaming at Jennings as he refused to provide identification – before he was ushered away in handcuffs.
Jennings later learned the person who called 911 knew him but didn’t recognize him when she called in the report.
Laughing in disbelief during the encounter, the pastor tells the officers: ‘Y’all racially profiled me.’
Alabama Pastor Michael Jennings accused police of racial profiling him in a discrimination lawsuit after he was unlawfully handcuffed for watering his neighbor’s flowers
Jennings was arrested in May after police received a complaint about a ‘strange’ man on a property
Jennings told police that he lived next door, but refused to provide them identification
Body camera footage showed three officers in a screaming match with Jennings as he refused to provide identification
One of the female residents, who also lived on the street, told the officers that the pastor and the homeowner were indeed friends
An unidentified officer then says: ‘We’re not racially profiling you,’ before Jennings rebukes: ‘Yes, you did.’
The officer continues: ‘No sir, no sir. We’re not about that okay?’
A white resident then intervened and told officers that Jennings lived next door – insisting that he was friends with the homeowner who had left earlier that day.
‘He lives right there,’ the woman told police while pointing at Jennings’ property.
The pastor, from Vision of Abundant Life Ministries in Sylacauga, was arrested and placed in the backseat of the cop car, despite the woman vouching for him. His mobile phone was also taken from him during the arrest.
‘Does he have permission to be watering flowers?’ police asked the woman.
To which the neighbor 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.’
Jennings was watering the flowers in his neighbor’s yard when he was arrested. He told the cops that he was being racially profiled
The pastor, from Vision of Abundant Life Ministries in Sylacauga, was arrested and placed in the backseat of the cop car, despite the woman vouching for him
One local, who also lived on the street, came to aid the black pastor – but despite telling cops that they were friends, Jennings was still arrested and later charged
At one point during the ordeal, Jennings could be heard speaking about his long-term neighbor: ‘He is going to be so p***** when I tell him I got arrested for watering his flowers.’
Police later received notice the ‘suspicious’ car belonged to another man. Jennings’ wife and daughter later arrived to the scene to identify him, but he was later charged with obstruction of government operation.
The charges were dropped one month later – but now the pastor is set to file a discrimination lawsuit against the officers.
‘Last I checked, watering roses ain’t no crime,’ Jennings told WIAT.
Following the ordeal, Jennings said that the ’emotional toll’ will take him some time to recover from.
Jennings’ attorney, Harry Daniels previously told DailyMail.com that the pastor has struggled to move past the ‘traumatic’ incident.
‘He’s a pastor, he’s a man of faith, but I would be remissive if I didn’t tell you that what he’s dealing with is very hard.
‘A split moment he felt his life could have been taken from him if he showed any resistance, even though he was right in the video.’
The pastor feared leaving to get his ID from his house and thought if he were to take off, the cops might ‘put a bullet’ in his back, according to Daniels.
When police asked Jennings to prove his identity, he refused since he knew – having a background in law enforcement – that he was not obliged to because he was not committing a crime and was on private property.
Daniels said that the video clearly showed police denying Jennings his rights, and revealed the cops involved as Christopher Smith, J Gable, and Sgt. Jeremy Brooks.
Jennings, with a hosepipe in hand, was generously watering his neighbor’s flowers while they were out of town
He was ushered away in handcuffs. Jennings says that he was the victim of racial profiling
Multiple neighbors stood around in shock as the local pastor was taken away in the cop car. Jennings was charged, but a month later it was dropped
‘If you noticed in the video, when a neighbor, the white lady said he lived [around] there, they took her word as the gospel, and the pastor who is preaching the gospel, they did not take his word at all.’
The attorney added: ‘A suit needs to be filled to prevent these things from happening – and put in front of law enforcement a notice that they cannot intimidate or harass, or abuse their powers.’
Daniels told WBRC: ‘These cases put law enforcement on notice and the country on notice that these types of interactions – thank God that Pastor Jennings had a cool head.
‘He didn’t get aggressive or defensive in a sense, and he complied when the officers grabbed him.’
‘It represents racial profiling and it represents law-enforcement officers intimidating a person who actually understands and knows their rights.’
After viewing the clip on social media, one person quipped: ‘If anyone wants to maliciously water my plants then I would appreciate it!’
Rick McClelland, Childersburg Police Chief, told WVTM an investigation would be conducted.
Meanwhile, Jennings’ other attorney, Bethaney Embry Jones, said McClelland may think the situation will be resolved by dropping the charges.
‘This was a crime, not a mistake,’ Jones said. ‘I would hope that the Childersburg Police Department would understand the difference.’