DENVER- The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado says two African-American brothers were racially profiled by Colorado Springs Police during a traffic stop in March. The group is defending the brothers in municipal court for the cracked windshield and interference citations they received after being pulled out of the car, cuffed and released.
A portion of the stop was caught on camera by the passenger, Ryan Brown, 31. The video begins after police already asked his brother, Benjamin Brown, 23, to get out of the car to be handcuffed and searched for weapons. Ryan Brown would eventually be forced out of the car and taken down to the ground.
"That is biased policing. I don't think anyone can watch that video and say with a straight face that that would have happened to two white men," said Mark Silverstein, ACLU Colorado's legal director.
The ACLU shared a copy of the police report with 9NEWS. Police say they saw the car with "very dark tinted windows" driving in a high crime area earlier in the day. The officer turned around with the intention of initiating a traffic stop but the car "rapidly fled the area," according to the report.
The report goes on to say that police would spot the car later in the day and pull the men over. Police were concerned when Ryan Brown reached down for something and one officer pulled out their gun. It turned out just to be his phone.
Police say in the report that Ryan Brown told Benjamin Brown not to comply with officer orders. But when asked to get out of the car, Benjamin did so. The officer had his taser pointed at him while he got out.
That's when the video starts rolling. Brown continues to ask the officers why they were pulled over. The police never address that in the video. The Colorado Police Manual states "upon initial contact, you should tell the violator why she/he is being contacted."
"We want the Colorado Springs Police Department to acknowledge that what happened that day should not have happened," Silverstein said.
Colorado Springs Police would not comment on the incident because there is an ongoing internal investigation.
The video ends when Ryan Brown is taken to the ground saying "do you see this! Excessive force!" The officer reaches for the phone and the video stops.
You can watch the video below:
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