HOUSTON – During protests sparked by George Floyd’s death, hundreds of protesters were arrested in Houston. Demonstrators were taken into custody and charged.
Now, there is a local push to have the charges against peaceful protesters dropped, which is something that has already happened in other big cities.
Houston rapper Trae Tha Truth said he wants to help dozens of peaceful protestors arrested and charged last week.
He’s now got the help of several Houston area attorneys who say many of the demonstrators were students and college graduates who had their own rights violated and they should not be facing charges in the first place.
Trae Tha Truth posted a video on Instagram, “I’ve been getting calls that a lot of the protesters were locked up.”
He said he is now working to get charges dropped against dozens of demonstrators who were arrested last week. Houston Attorney Monique Sparks and several others have now joined the cause.
She said if Dallas can drop hundreds of cases against peaceful protesters, so can Houston.
“We’re calling for Houston to show up and show who we really are – we say Houston Strong, it’s time to make this right,” Monique Sparks said.
Sparks said protesters were backed up against a wall where they had nowhere else to go, they were pepper-sprayed and hit with sponge rounds.
“They went out there in good spirits and hope to make awareness for a cause and then their rights were further violated,” Sparks said. “We are better than this, we can do better than Dallas there’s no reason to hold out on these charges, I think it’s time we agree we’re not going to stand behind officer misconduct in any form."
The Houston Police Department released the following written statement:
“Some of the demonstrations contained various groups who engaged in criminal activity. These individuals… tried to take over freeways and other roadways… Demonstrators were given multiple verbal warnings that they were unlawfully obstructing the roadway and after failing to heed those warnings… they were arrested.”
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office released the following written statement:
“As we do in all cases, prosecutors are reviewing all the facts and evidence on a case by case basis. We welcome any additional evidence from the public.”
They are currently in the process of reviewing hundreds of cases.