Earl Sampson has been arrested and thrown into jail 56 times over the past four years, despite never getting convicted of anything more serious than possession of marijuana.
Sampson, a Miami Gardens resident, has over that time span been searched more than 100 times and stopped and questioned by police 258 times.
The weird thing is, Sampson has been arrested dozens of times for trespassing at the convenience store he works at, 207 Quickstop.
The store’s owner, Alex Saleh, is as confused as anybody else why Sampson has been arrested all these times. So he installed video cameras to protect himself, his employees, and his customers from the aggressive police force.
Videos from the cameras show police officers searching the business without permission and stopping locals and questioning and searching them. Officers appear to be using excessive force in the videos, reported the Miami Herald.
“There is just no justifying this kind of behavior,’’ said Chuck Drago, a former police officer and consultant on police policy and the use of force. “Nobody can justify overstepping the constitution to fight crime.”
The police department didn’t return a series of phone messages and emails, but in a statement police chief Matthew Boyd said that the department is committed to serving and protecting the residents of the city.
Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union Florida, disagrees.
“Where is the police chief in all this? In a police department in a city this size, this kind of behavior could not escape his attention. Doesn’t the City Commission know that they are exposing the city to either massive liability for civil rights violations? Either that, or they are going to wake up one day and find the U.S. Department of Justice has taken over its police department.’
Saleh, the business owner, is preparing to file a federal civil rights lawsuit.
Video shows Sampson getting stopped while he is stocking coolers inside the store, handcuffed, and arrested for trespassing.
“I never felt they had any probable cause,’’ Sampson said. “They hop out of the car and search me before they even ask me for my name.’
