A Michigan deputy was fired after he arrested a Black man who was going door-to-door collecting signatures
Bre'Anna Grant
Sat, January 23, 2021, 6:09 PM·2 min read
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Authorities say two deputies were sent to a neighborhood in Springfield, Michigan on January 2 after a call about a suspicious person possibly soliciting.
- A 10-minute video recording shows La'Ron Marshall was going door-to-door collecting signatures to form a tenant organization when police arrested him.
- "We hold all Calhoun County sheriff deputies to a high standard," said Sheriff Steve Hinkley in a statement video.
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The Calhoun County deputy who arrested a Black man for collecting signatures has been fired.
Authorities say two deputies were sent to a neighborhood in Springfield, Michigan on January 2 after receiving a call about a suspicious person possibly soliciting.
A 10-minute video recording shows La'Ron Marshall was going door-to-door collecting signatures to form a tenant organization when police arrested him.
The video starts with police telling Marshall to put his hands behind his back while Marshall asks why he's being arrested.
"For soliciting," a deputy said.
"Soliciting what?" Marshall asked.
"Whatever you're soliciting," a deputy said.
"So you don't even know what I'm doing," Marshall said.
Marshall told the maskless deputies that he wasn't soliciting money, he was only collecting signatures.
One of the deputies in the video repeatedly asks Marshall to show his ID and arrested him after Marshall refused.
The unidentified person recording the video asks the deputies for their badge numbers, but the deputies refused to provide them.
Marshall told MLIVE that he felt he was targeted and racially profiled.
There is no Stop and ID Law, which would require you to identify yourself to the police, in Michigan. According to the Michigan Legal Center, a police officer can't demand to see your identification unless they have reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed. The American Civil Liberties Union notes that in some states, you may be required to provide your name if asked to identify yourself, and an officer may arrest you for refusing to do so.
"We hold ourselves to high standards of professionalism to the communities we protect," Sheriff Steve Hinkley said in a statement.
Authorities said the deputy who arrested Marshall was terminated.
"When we are right, we are right. When we are wrong, we admit we are wrong," said Hinkley. " On January 2, we were wrong."
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