The Never Ending Long & Treacherous Racism Road
How two cops were in search of a unknown perpetrator grabs the first black man seen against the words of the caller, as the real perpetrator was white
Antone Austin, aka Tone Stackz found himself fighting for his life as he exited his home to put the trash in his garbage ben as two cops approached him without warrant or reason, as begun to harass, demanding he put his hands up as he asked what was the problem. Even as the caller, advised he was not the man called about while Mr. Austin’s girlfriend intervene to explain and prevent them from harming her boyfriend, accidently disrobed during the altercation. Their struggle culminated with both of the parties being wrongly arrested for resisting arrest but later released after paying $57,000 in bail.
Nowadays, a Black man can’t even step outside of his home in his area without ramrod cops jumping on them only due to their skin color. Mr. Austin found himself grappling with two officers outside of his home in Hollywood as they were responding to reports of a domestic violence incident which later turned out to be a white boyfriend of a nearby neighbor.
While today again, the Los Angeles police department finds itself facing another lawsuit pertaining to police brutality and like many others where cops have again singled out another black man without probable cause.
During the lawsuit, a federal magistrate order public disclosure and the release of the video from a Los Angeles police officer’s body camera which showed the two officers grappling with and arresting a Black man wrongfully, again. Thank God for the body cameras, so many policemen have gotten away with murder, literally. Some turn their body cameras off and when they do they should be fired because their action is indicative that their intent is not ethical. Every lawsuit puts another nail into the racial police profiling coffin as Tone Stacks aka Antone Austin, a music producer, alleged racial profiling and civil rights violations as he was arrested May, 2019 despite not being the suspect in a domestic violence call.
Clearly this video shows Mr. Austin and his girlfriend, Michelle Michlewicz being physically detained by the two officers as they proclaim Austin’s innocence. How do you go out to arrest someone and not know who you are looking for? How do you grab anyone without reason off the street as they are minding their own business? How do you arrest someone when unsure who you are arresting? How do you take such a negative tone when someone proclaims their innocence? Isn’t the policeman job to protect and serve? Where’s the service and the protection here? Even after the caller advised, Mr. Austin was not the man, why did cops continue and arrested him and his girlfriend? Was it because he was black? Real questions demand real answer to stop this systemic racism that runs a long thread in the police department throughout America.
The conversation of these cops prior to this altercation and false arrest, as they made a U-turn after passing Mr. Austin, “This dude?” the other answers, “Probably.” This is pure insanity and would have never happened if Mr. Austin wasn’t a person of color. These policemen are well aware that the cards and the halls of justice are normally stacked against the Black man, but this one is fighting back, intending to win. The video speaks for itself.
According to Mr. Austin, the real culprit lived in another apartment. Here’s the conversation that ensured as they arrested Mr. Austin. The officers states, “turn around”, Mr. Austin responded, “why”, the cop snaps, “Because I told you to.” This conversation speaks volume of the attitude pertaining to the cop and attest that Mr. Austin was not combative as he informed the cops that he lived there where he was dumping his garbage in the bins. Then, the officer replied, “OK, man, I don’t know who I am looking for.”
Really? In that case, these officers need to be retrained, NOW, and put on a no pay leave until the court settles the case. If found guilty, they should be fired and sued individually. Systemic racism perpetuated by ill intent cops must be stopped by any means necessary. Also, the cops asked Mr. Austin, “what is your problem”, as they struggled and Mr. Austin yelled for help from his girlfriend. Thank God, she was home. Can you imagine what would have happened if she wasn't’? He also told the cop that the persons of interest was upstairs and yet they proceeded to arrest him, putting his hands behind his back. Michelle, his girlfriend, pulled on Austin preventing the cops from taking him away and they pushed and tackled her to the ground. Both of their rights were violated. Yes, it is time for a lawsuit. Their civil rights lawsuit shows how frivolous the cops’ actions were grabbing and arresting the first Black man they saw.
Now the LAPD declined to comment on the video release. They are perpetrators of this type of behavior, racial profiling, far too long. Also, the police union needs to wake up and stop protecting racist cops. Unbelievable, the L.A. city attorney’s office, in court papers, sought to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Mr. Austin and Ms. Michlewicz are to blame for the force used against them and that the police should be immune from liability. This is the very thinking that has gotten the L.A. police department in the many racial profiling lawsuit way into the millions of dollars. When will they all learn that this is a new day and thank God for the many videos that surface when racial profiling raises its ugly head, anywhere.
In conclusion, these two cops, one white and one Asian, had the opportunity to right a wrong especially not knowing whom they were looking for when the caller clearly advised they had the wrong man. Yelling and slamming an innocent Black man in a wall face-first is unacceptable behavior from a serve and protect personnel, cops. Instead they were left bloody and battered with no apology. Now Mr. Austin vehemently states, “ I just want justice served.”
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