Police Filmed Wrongly Arresting Libertarian Gubernatorial Candidate
Minneapolis police are backpedaling after wrongly arresting, citing, and injuring Minnesota Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate Chris Holbrook yesterday.
According to a local ABC affiliate, Holbrook and "party members [were] sorting literature and getting ready to get signatures for his upcoming campaign"—their sixth consecutive day doing so—when "park patrol approached them and said they were violating a park ordinance and they had called the police."
Officer Brian Woodfill told the candidate that he needed a permit to be petitioning, told him stop filming the cops, and then cited him for allegedly violating Park Board Ordinance PB2-15, "use of parks, parkways and waters for financial gain." Petitioning is not actually within the scope of this ordinance.
As Holbrook describes it, the incident was a bit brutal. He told BenSwann.com:
"The officers asked for my ID which I refused because I had committed no crime. He ordered that we stop filming him with our cell phone cameras which he said was illegal. He then grabbed me, twisted my arm and smashed me against his vehicle."
Holbrook says that his shoulder was wrenched and injured and the handcuffs actually cut through the skin and Holbrook's arm causing it to begin bleeding.
He explained on his Facebook fanpage, "It was very painful, and when I asked the officer to loosen the cuffs they were tightened (hence the screaming)." Holbrook eventually sought medical attention for his injuries.
Park Police Chief Jason Ohotta personally apologized to Holbrook, dismissed the citation, and today announced that an internal investigation will take place.
Watch the incident below. See two more clips of Holbrook's day in the park here and here.
