Brickbat: The Wheels of Justice Turn Slowly
In 2014, Topeka, Kansas, resident Arthur Morris had stepped out onto his back porch for a smoke when three police officers confronted him, wrestled him to the ground, and beat him up. He was charged and convicted of assaulting an officer, disobeying an officer, disturbing the peace and interfering with law enforcement. Only after the trial was over did a police legal adviser reveal to the court that body camera footage existed showing Morris was minding his own business on his own property when he was attacked by cops. The judge vacated the sentence and Morris later got a $40,000 settlement from the city. The body camera footage was only released to the public just a few days ago.
