Unjust Arrest

Keith Boykin says police have “too much power” after arrest while documenting protest.

By Rhuaridh Marr

KEITH BOYKIN HAS SPOKEN out about being arrested and detained in New York City while documenting a protest, saying that police have “too much power” and “make matters worse.” The gay journalist and broadcaster, who is a CNN and CNBC contributor, was taking photos and videos at a recent protest over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

In a series of tweets, Boykin said that he identified himself as a member of the press to NYPD officers, who then “walked by me and then turned around and arrested me.”

“The police locked me in tight zip ties that bruised my wrists. They held me in a van for an hour. Then a hot police bus for an hour,” he tweeted. “Then they took me to 1 Police Plaza and held me in a jail cell with about 35 others with no social distancing and many of the others unmasked.”

Boykin said he was photographed, but no one read his Miranda rights and he wasn’t charged with “any serious crime.”

“After 6 hours in police custody, they finally let me out of jail with a summons to appear in court,” he wrote. “The police have way too much power.”

Boykin repeated that sentiment in an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, saying he was in front of the march with his camera.

“I was in front of the protesters with my camera so I could video and take photos,” Boykin said. “And the police came. I said, ‘I’m with the press.’ They walked by me, but then they turned around and they arrested me anyway. I asked, ‘why am I being arrested?’ and they said, ‘well, you’re blocking the highway.'”

Boykin said that he wasn’t, because “the police and the protesters were blocking the highway and I was in between the two of them. I was simply photographing what was taking place and documenting what was happening.”

He again described his arrest and detainment, and said that when he was eventually released, he was given a court summons accusing him of “walking on the highway” and “disorderly conduct – blocking vehicular traffic.”

“They could have just said, ‘you need to move off the highway or you’re going to be arrested.’ They didn’t bother to do that,” he continued. “They just arrested me. The police have too much power.”

Boykin added: “So often the police actually don’t de-escalate, but they make matters worse, and that’s what people are protesting about. That’s why they’re so upset about George Floyd right now. It saddens me. This has been a horrible week for everybody in America.”