Part 2: Footage of Gaston County Violation of Christian Missionaries' Civil Rights (1/11/2025) скачать в хорошем качестве

Part 2: Footage of Gaston County Violation of Christian Missionaries' Civil Rights (1/11/2025)

Gaston County Police, Gaston County Sheriff’s Deputies, and Cherryville Police officers converged to apprehend Christian missionaries from Catawba County for parking within the 20-foot public easement and peacefully manning a support vehicle for two other members of their mission team while they walked with a cross. This incident constitutes the initial segment of the comprehensive body-camera recording, commencing from the moment the Christian pastor carrying a cross approached the parked support vehicle with his 14-year-old son. *First Question:* “Officer, do you have reasonable articulable suspicion of a crime?” Gaston Police Officer Austin Hildebrand responded, “I don’t.” The young Christian couple in the vehicle were subsequently arrested and charged with “obstructing an investigation” because they were uncomfortable providing identification when it was acknowledged that there was no reasonable articulable suspicion of a crime being committed. The pastor who comes on the scene clearly explains the situation and the team’s purpose. North Carolina is NOT a stop-and-ID state. Officers must have reasonable articulable suspicion of a crime before they can proceed any further with an investigation. *Facts:* The Christian missionaries never refused to provided identification. They simply questioned whether it was required because officersadmitted there was no reasonable articulable suspicion of a crime. The two arrested missionaries were never asked their names. Upon being removed from the parked vehicle, both were asked for the locations of their IDs and provided that information. Officers retained possession of their IDs for 31 minutes before leaving the scene with the two in custody. Those taken into custody were not read Miranda Rights or informed of the specific crime being charged against them. The road in question, a half-mile dirt extension of Baxter Road connecting Flint Hill and Delview Roads, is marked with a state Stop sign, a state yellow-diamond warning sign, and a typical green street sign indicating “Baxter Rd.” There is no signage or gates indicating that it is anything other than a public thoroughfare. Officers on the scene attempted to solicit a trespass by contacting the property owner and requesting that he send someone to the scene. *This overreaction was prompted by an anonymous 911 call regarding a suspicious vehicle. No call was made by the property owner about anyone being on their property without permission. The vehicle was parked and turned off when officers arrived on the scene. It had been parked in that spot for approximately 45 minutes, as the support vehicle waited for those walking with the cross. There was no interaction with any other members of the public or another vehicle. The location was a quiet rural area, and the two who were arrested we simply sitting quietly and waiting patiently. Gaston County Officer Austin Hildebrand declined to provide his name while simultaneously demanding that the missionaries disclose theirs without any evidence or reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. This same officer was responsible for a head-on collision in 2023 that nearly resulted in the death of a mother and her daughter, causing irreparable brain damage to the child. While off-duty, he was speeding in a county vehicle on Cherryville Highway and attempted to pass a turning vehicle. The collision occurred at high speed with an oncoming vehicle. Gaston County Police are currently facing a lawsuit regarding this incident. Notably, this same officer continues to drive Cherryville Highway and its surrounding areas in a county vehicle, while simultaneously engaging in “Rules for Thee but not for Me” thuggery and intimidation, thereby violating the rights and security of peaceful citizens. (https://www.aol.com/lawsuit-says-gast....