Today an African-American man came into the office with his family. He had just been walking by and saw our sign in the window: "Please sign our petition for police accountability' and that's why he came in.
He said, "Yeah, I just got arrested for being Black in Springfield."
What happened?" I said.
"I was downtown with my family," he said, "and I saw a cruiser pulling somebody over. So, just being nosy, I went over to see what was going on. The cop said, 'Move along' but i guess I didn't move fast enough because the next thing I knew, I was up against the cruiser and in handcuffs."
"What did they charge you with?"
"Disturbing the peace."
"And what happened when you went to court?"
"I had to pay an $80 fine-- for being Black in Springfield."
Watch this video, and observe the contempt with which the BBC interviewer treats the man she is interviewing about the London riots.