According to the SIOUX CITY JOURNAL, Police released video footage Monday of a high school band director getting tased after he refused to have his band stop playing. The high school football game in Birmingham Alabama had gotten over and the band directors of each team were prompted by police to conclude their playing. The home team stopped and the opposing team continued. The director ended up in prison later that night. The altercation occurred at the end of the Thursday football game between Minor High School and Jackson-Olin High School.
There was an over exaggeration of power. The video shows officers approach Minor band director Johnny Mims as the band plays in the stands after the game. Mims was asked several times to stop his band but refused. Mims continues to direct the band and replies to the officer, “get out of my face.” He tells the officers, “We’re fixing to go. This is their last song.”
There should be no debate whether Mims was right or wrong in continuing to play. The taser simply should never have been drawn in front of his students. The altercation grasped attention on a national level as there was an alarming abuse of power. The situation should have been deescalated but instead a man was unable to practice his civil rights.
Comment on the writing of the story, Elsie. What do you
think of the lead? I think it’s too long.
I saw the video and it’s hard to tell exactly what’s
going, but it does seem ridiculous to taze someone
simply for letting the music go until the end.