Free Thought Project – by Jack Burns
Fort Smith, AR — It is illegal for police officers to pull reasons out of thin air and invent probable cause to pull over motorists, detain, and question law abiding citizens who have not committed any crimes. Still, we at TFTP regularly report incidents of this happening almost on a daily basis. Luke Ashlocke is one of these cases and claims Fort Smith police have been targeting him for harassment. His most recent interaction with Fort Smith officer Cassidy is proof, Ashlocke says, the cops have targeted him.
He sent us the video and says watching videos and stories uploaded to our site on Facebook and the world-wide web have helped protect his family. We assume it means he has learned how to exercise his constitutional rights and the following story and accompanying video from him lead us to believe he’s been taking notes and practicing a lot these days.
As the video begins, Ashlocke asked why officer Cassidy pulled him over to which the officer claimed he was being “suspicious” for driving through the parking lot in a shopping center full of businesses which were already closed after operating hours.
Ashlocke did what we at TFTP encourage every citizen to do, record any and all police contact. The footage now serves to illustrate what happens when motorists who know their rights attempt to flex their constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness free from unwarranted police contact.
Ashlocke claims it is the third time this week he has been pulled over by Fort Smith police officers. This time he stopped in a local shopping center, raised his hood to check the fuel pressure of his car’s fuel system and got the blue light special by Cassidy.
Nearly every time police officers pull over motorists they also run their license plates and drivers license numbers for outstanding arrest warrants. Ashlocke refused to hand over his drivers license. We assume Cassidy detained Mr. Ashlocke long enough to run the license plates for any outstanding warrants. According to the video Ashlocke sent TFTP, the motorist expressed his anger because he simply wanted to be on his way.
“This is Fort Smith, Arkansas and this is outrageous,” he calmly commented to the camera as more officers arrived to serve as backup.
If you serve and protect you’re not doing either of those things right now. Your’e violating my Constitutional rights and barking commands at me right now. I’m a human being. But at least I’m not a penis. And that’s what he is (Cassidy). Sorry my kids are in the car and I have to use that language, otherwise it would be vile language.
The upset father claimed he had been pulled over in an empty parking lot for 8 minutes and officers were just “killing time” after he requested a supervisor. Four more officers eventually arrived as Ashlocke explained to listeners he had just changed his fuel filter and was losing fuel pressure in the fuel system when he pulled over in a vacant lot to evaluate the system. That action led to him being pulled over. Eventually, supervisor Lieutenant Young arrived and attempted to explain why he was being pulled over.
Young reiterated the same thing Cassidy stated which was Ashelocke was pulled over for suspected loitering. But then, Officer Young gave a clearer indication of how long police were following. He stated they knew he was at Applebees and Ashelocke fired back saying they were there to pick up their take out food.
“I’ll tell you my name is Luke, and I’d like to be on my way home…to eat food with my children on my birthday,” Ashlocke stated. “I wanna go home, I’ve done nothing wrong…I’m sick of it. Twice a week this happens,” Ashlocke stated before being told he was free to go home by Lt. Young.
It’s important to note Ashlocke stood his ground, insisted he had done nothing wrong (illegal) and never provided any identifying information. That’s how it’s done folks, in pro-like fashion. Ashlocke exhibited the proper way to handle police contact. He refused to answer questions. He refused to be controlled. He exerted his First Amendment rights to free speech and never surrendered any of his other Constitutional rights to illegal searches, stops, or seizures. He did mention his lawyers name and promised to file a civil rights lawsuit against the Fort Smith Police Department.
That’s right, America. If you are having car problems, and you stop over in a vacant parking lot away from the roadway, you can have your freedoms to move about the planet violated by police officers who seem to have nothing better to do than to pull over people for having committed no crimes whatsoever.