Hunter
10/20/20
A Chicago man has had charges stemming from an Iowa City incident thrown out by a federal judge who said the officer was racially profiling.
KCRG reports that Christopher Kelly was walking to his aunt’s house from the Waterfront Hy-Vee when police got a call about a black man who possibly had a gun. Body camera footage from the incident shows officer Travis Neeld waving Kelly to cross the street, then stopped him for jaywalking.
Kelly gave the officer a false name and didn’t provide identification. Officer Neeld reportedly undid the buttons on his service weapon when Kelly reached for his wallet in his back pocket, and asked Kelly not to reach for anything unless he told him what he was reaching for.
Other officers arrived and told Kelly to put his hands on his head. Kelly resisted and was tackled to the ground. Neeld used a taser on Kelly several times while officers held him down.
Johnson County and federal prosecutors cleared Officer Neeld’s actions as lawful.
Police did find an illegal gun and marijuana on Kelly, but judge Stephanie Rose threw the evidence out and said the officer’s actions were an example for stopping someone for “walking while black.” She said police needed more than a hunch to stop Kelly.
The city is working with the Black Lives Matter movement to make policy changes to keep incidents like Kelly’s from occurring in the future.
