UVA Student Martese Johnson
Arrested and assaulted by Virginia law enforcement, UVA honors student Martese Johnson
will soon have his day in court. When that happens, the evidence is going to show that his arrest itself was based on lies.
Charged with public intoxication and accused of having a fake ID, Martese was actually not drunk and had his real identification. According to the Richmond Free Press:
State ABC agents charged University of Virginia honor student Martese Johnson with public intoxication even though the agents did not believe he was drunk, according to their statements. Instead, they believed he might be using a false ID.
A statement issued by Mr. Watkins’ law firm states: “We have already reviewed the reports from the arresting ABC agents and the local police on the scene, and our position remains that the (agents) lacked legal justification to arrest or brutalize young Martese.”
While the cold hard truth is that nothing could ever justify the brutal assault suffered Johnson suffered, it's even more egregious as the facts come out and prove that he truly did nothing wrong that evening.
While Johnson was assaulted through an illegal arrest, Freddie Gray was actually killed after an illegal arrest in Baltimore. Our nation can and must do so much better than this.