Charged with resisting arrest
for being outside, unarmed, on own property
BOB UNRUH
Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006
after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper
Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and
sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is also a photographer whose
scenic work has been used commercially.
The arrest of a man who videoed
police officers violently serving an arrest warrant across the street from his
home indicates Americans no longer are masters of their own country, contends a
leading constitutional lawyer.
“In fact, you’re not even the
servant – you’re the slave,” said John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford
Institute.
Rutherford is representing
Gresham, Oregon, resident Fred Marlow, 27, who is facing charges and fines of
up to $5,000 after his Sept. 2 arrest.
“Clearly, when police officers
cease to look and act like civil servants or peace officers but instead look
and act like soldiers occupying a hostile territory, it alters their perception
of ‘we the people.’ However, those who founded this country believed that we
were the masters and that those whose salaries we pay with our hard-earned tax
dollars are our servants,” Whitehead said.
“If daring to question,
challenge or even hesitate when a cop issues an order can get you charged with
resisting arrest or disorderly conduct, you’re not the master in a
master-servant relationship. If fact, you’re not even the servant,” he said.
Gresham officials did not
return a WND call requesting comment.
Marlow’s video shows what
happened:
In a description of the video
on YouTube, he said it was about 4 a.m. when the incident began.
“I was laying in my apartment
sleeping an[d] I heard multiple bombs blasting and glass breaking and my entire
apartment shook repeatedly. I grabbed my iPad and ran outside as fast as I
could to see what was going on. There were 5 or more tank/military trucks just
cruising through my neighborhood.”
“Read “Police State USA” and
find out what’s really going on across the nation.
He said he was “assaulted
multiple times, and I feel like it was Gresham police abuse, and my rights were
violated.”
Whitehead said his organization
decided to help when he discovered Marlow had been arrested, jailed and charged
with interfering and resisting arrest for videoing the SWAT team raid.
Marlow argued he was on his own
property, was not carrying a weapon and was not interfering.
He was threatened then arrested
when he told the officers the video of their actions was being uploaded to the
Internet.
The video reveals the officers
saying: “Go inside right now. You are interfering right now. You need to go
inside right now. It’s a lawful order.”
Marlow pointed out there was no
curfew, he was unarmed and he was on his own property.
The Rutherford Institute said
its first priority was to arrange legal counsel for Marlow.
