Posted on 01/10/2020 1:01:41 PM PST by Morgana
Tackled, tased, punched, kneed and tased some more for holding a wooden cross in his right hand and a bible nestled under his left arm. The man was reportedly previously rebuking the devil music being played on the stage.
The disturbing police body cam footage from July 4th, 2019 in Kokomo Indiana, of Jonatan Cantu, an Indiana man- who was holding a wooden cross in a park surfaces on the Colorado Donkey Watch YouTube channel.
Below is an illustrated video which shows a man peacefully holding a wooden cross in front of a stage where music was being played. When the cop arrives on the scene after being contacted by the Howard County Emergency Management Agency you can hear the EMA worker saying “I want psycho with the cross out of the park” in which the officer Drew Wallsmith responds “Okay”.
Wallsmith then approached Cantu and tells him to leave the park. Cantu said no because he knows his rights. After Cantu refused to comply with Wallsmith’s attempt to violate his first amendment right, it becomes physical. Wallsmith grabs for Cantu’s cross unsuccessfully, at which point the officer tackles Cantu while he is still holding his cross to his chest and crying out to God. Two Howard County EMA’s help the officer restrain Cantu, face down on the ground. Within seconds Cantu receives his first of many blasts from a taser gun. More EMA workers help restrain Cantu who is already on the ground all the while officer Wallsmith continues to pull the trigger on his taser gun, over and over again.
Officer Alex Toth arrives on the scene, who immediately delivers 6 punches to Cantu’s kidney. 5 strong knee thrusts to the kidney area came next, also from Toth, while Wallsmith continues to use the taser. Both officers commanded Cantu to let go of his wooden cross which they kept referring to as a “stick”. At one point in the video, you can see Wallsmith push Toth back in an attempt to stop the abuse of Cantu. Once Cantu was detained they walked him to the cop car and closed him inside, all while Cantu was praying out loud to God.
Jonathan Cantu was charged with 2 class A misdemeanors, one of criminal trespassing and the other for resisting law enforcement. WARNING: Video contains disturbing and graphic footage. It may be difficult to watch.
Video is from Colorado Donkey Watch YouTube channel.
**Video on link**
All the kid was doing was standing there holding a cross before the stage. Had he been a muslim kid..well you know the rest.
Being it happened so long ago what was the outcome after the arrest?
He should sue everyone involved.
This is what am wondering and if anyone from Indiana had heard of it.
One of these days some idiot with a badge will attack someone who is doing nothing wrong and they’re going to get their head blown off by a citizen who won’t stand back to watch injustice.
I imagine we’ll see this in Virginia sometime soon.
Right or wrong the cops wanted the “stick”. He should have dropped the makeshift cross and they would have left him alone. Or escorted him out of the park.
Who the eff cares if a police officer wants something harmless you are holding?
Would you turn over your ice cream cone if an officer demanded it?
Just looking at the photo’s , I can see where the cops would feel threatened, still could have been handled differently.
The video doesn’t show the beginning. All I saw before the vid. was a still shot of the young man holding a cross in an upraised position.
I’m not joining the group saying his rights were violated.
In that one still shot, I see a rather large young man, holding a solid looking wooden cross in an upraised position.
Some might say he was brandishing a potential weapon.
He obviously was making people nervous. They didn’t know what his ultimate intentions were.
He refused to back off when requested: First Big Mistake!
None of what followed was necessary. All he had to do was
listen to their request and back off. Instead, he became more and more rowdy. More and more a problem.
What did he want? Attention? Well, he got it then, in spades.
I know there are good LEOs out there (most), but this crap is legal assault by an officer. I am using the word “legal” sarcastically.
Just like in China.
An ass whipping will cost you more than a flippin' ice cream cone.
Wow!
Must some cynicism intended.
“I’m not joining the group saying his rights were violated.”
I believe his rights were trampled on. In a public park, meaning in public, you can go about your business. He did not initiate the physical attack. He was protesting like every American has a right to do.
Because someone doesn’t like the guy (or his message) doesn’t grant the right of the police to attack. He was not acting in a way to disrupt the “entertainment,” he was holding a cross, expressing his First Amendment rights. He was not chanting or abusing anyone.
Trespassing? Was he given a legal order? Not that I could see. I saw the guy getting assaulted and I didn’t hear anything remotely like “leave now of you are going to be trespassed.”
Again, public area, a park, and he was not attacking people or anything like that. Can’t be trespassed when not asked to leave, and if asked to leave, the police are not empowered to threaten trespass arrest. Only the person responsible for that public venue has the authority to allege trespass.
“Some might say he was brandishing a potential weapon.”
And if he was crippled and needed a cane. . .that could be “threatening” to some people.
“He obviously was making people nervous.”
Don’t care, other peoples feelings have nothing to do with this situation. Try alleging your feelings were threatened when you are in a public place. Listen to the police laughing at you being a snowflake.
“All he had to do was listen to their request and back off.”
No matter the reason, no matter what is happening, you could then be sitting in the crowd and peacefully holding a cross that “threatens people?”
And is it best to just let the police decide who can stay in a public venue?
Other’s may have a different feeling about personal freedoms, the Bill of Rights and acting as a free man.
May your chains rest lightly.
Solid looking cross? Looks like lathe/ furring strip cellophane taped together. Really?
Must be the message, not the material....
This is a federal civil rights case, among other things.
There is a reason the 1st Amendment is the 1st amendment. The Founders recognized the importance.
Why would the kid be at such a rock concert in the first place and a body camera conveniently placed for recording? To be fair, this isn’t the type of Christian behavior one should be exhibiting. I doubt if it was done out of love.
“Would you turn over your ice cream cone if an officer demanded it?”
Yes, the would be the smart thing to do.
Does not show the beginning? Did you watch it all the way through? It has the cops body cam view with it as well as some bystander.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.