After Lexington protesters allege chokehold, protesters and police release video, images
The day after Lexington police arrested five protesters, one of whom said he was put in a chokehold, both protesters and police have released video and images of what happened.
During the protest Saturday, police told protesters that they could not block traffic or march in the road, according to videos and witness statements.
At one point, a few protesters tried to cross East Main Street in a crosswalk and police arrested them. The light was green, but witnesses said no traffic was coming. Video of the incident does not appear to show any passing traffic.
After the arrests, protesters took to social media to release photos of what happened and say that one of their group had been put in a chokehold during his arrest. One of the photos released by protesters showed that man, James Woodhead, with an officer’s arm around his neck.
The Lexington Police Department also took to social media for their response on Sunday, publicly releasing body camera footage and denying that a chokehold was used.
“An officer wrapped his arm around the man to pull him away from the other arresting officer,” police said in the social media statement. “The man was taken to the ground and placed under arrest. While there are reports a chokehold was used, it was not.”
Police said in their post that Woodhead was trying to interfere with the arrest of another protester. In his own statement, Woodhead said he was concerned for the protester, a Black woman, who was charged by officers.
Woodhead said he was left with red marks on his body, and had told police they were hurting him multiple times during the arrest. Before being taken into custody, Woodhead said he’d been blocked from filming the arrest of another female protester.
Toward the beginning of the body camera footage released Sunday by police, officers can be heard talking to each other about what the protesters were doing and preparing to make arrests. If anyone went into the street against the light, they said they would arrest them and a group of specific protesters they accused of inciting them.
In the body camera footage, the officers can be heard saying they would arrest organizers Sarah Williams, April Taylor and Jesus Gonzales if anyone went into the road.
The officers talk about seeing protesters writing numbers on their arms in preparation for being arrested. Throughout the weeks of protests, organizers have provided phone numbers for people to call in case they are arrested.
An officer on the body camera footage said he heard a protester telling the group that anyone willing to go in the road and get arrested could do so.
“That’s inciting a riot right there,” the officer can be heard saying.
Police charged Williams, Taylor, Gonzales and Woodhead with inciting a riot and second-degree disorderly conduct. Williams was also charged with “disregarding a traffic device.” Another woman, Precious Taylor, was charged with second-degree disorderly conduct.
All of the protesters who were arrested were released a few hours after their arrests, Woodhead said.
Woodhead said that going into the road was discussed during the protest, but that Taylor and Gonzales were telling people not to do it or they would be arrested.
None of the protesters had any intention of escalating things or being arrested, but they were concerned about their rights being violated, he said.
“If we don’t take to the streets, we don’t protest, we don’t have a voice,” Woodhead said. “Our rights are being restricted as LPD again tries to control the narrative.”
Protest organizer Sarah Williams said in a statement that this was the first time in five years she’d had Lexington police tell her she could not protest in the streets.
Woodhead and his wife were at the mall in 2019 when Lexington police chaplain Donavan Stewart helped arrest an autistic Black teenager. After the 2019 arrest, groups protested saying Stewart repeatedly punched the teen while he was restrained.
Police have said that the internal investigation of the arrest by Stewart could not begin until court proceedings concluded. Woodhead said he and his wife have tried multiple times to testify in the teen’s court case, but the case is still active after ending in a mistrial. The Herald-Leader has not had access to the proceedings in the teen’s case because he is a juvenile.
Stewart announced last week that he is retiring and had filed a defamation lawsuit against protesters.
Woodhead said protesters believe the lawsuit and the way protesters have been treated at recent gatherings are attempts to silence them.
“Today’s acts of violence by LPD, have left me physically and emotionally bruised,” Woodhead said in his statement Saturday. “However, I recognize my white privilege enabled me to make the choice to place myself in danger of police brutality, while trying to speak up for Black and disabled lives that are in danger. We will continue to stand up and peacefully fight back to ensure that no more Black lives are under attack. We need LPD Accountability NOW.”
This story was originally published July 12, 2020 at 9:28 PM with the headline "After Lexington protesters allege chokehold, protesters and police release video, images."
