Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist
Oklahoma City, OK — Police officers assaulting or even killing deaf people for being unable to hear their commands is a tragic reality. Pearl Pearson Jr. has learned that reality the hard way. For nearly seven minutes, Pearson, 64-years-old at the time and diabetic was beaten and arrested by police officers as they yelled at him to stop resisting.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers, Eric Foster and Kelton Hayes were the two officers that were involved in what an affidavit claims was a 7-minute altercation.
When the original incident happened on January 3, 2014, police refused to release the video. However, weeks later, after the media frenzy died down, police quietly released the dashcam. The disturbing video shows troopers yelling at Pearson and drag him from the vehicle.
He was dragged from the vehicle in spite of the fact that he did everything he was supposed to as a deaf driver, according to his family.
According to Pearson’s family, Pearl pulled over and rolled down his window expecting an officer to ask for this identification. An officer struck him in the face before Pearl had the chance to do anything.
The photos of his swollen and bruised face clearly show the result of the police action.
After Pearson was beaten by police, he was arrested and charged with resisting arrest. He was thrown in jail, and, according to his family, an interpreter was never provided while Pearl was under the care of law enforcement — not during the booking, hospital, or time at the jail was an interpreter provided — even though Pearl requested one.
Pearson was sitting in a jail cell, battered and bruised, and had no idea ‘why.’
Pearson has no criminal record, and in fact is a father to a police officer, his son-in-law is also a cop. In 2015, Pearson was given an award for his amazing service to the community for working with people with disabilities.
Finally, after 3 years of holding it over his head, the District Attorney’s office decided to drop the charges. However, they dropped the charges, not because they thought the cops were in the wrong, and not because they thought Pearson was innocent. In fact, neither of the cops involved in beating a deaf man for being unable to understand them has faced any discipline at all. The sole reason the case was dropped was because the trial cost was too high.
Pearson, who learned sign language during segregation, learned a different way of communicating other than the traditional American Sign Language (ASL). He needs a translator for court officials to understand him. Because the cost of translators was so high, the DA decided to toss the case out.
The DA announced this week, that Pearson would no longer face the charges.
“It is the District Attorney’s responsibility to be a good steward of the taxpayer’s money,” District Attorney David Prater wrote. “Though it is important to prosecute matters to promote public safety and assure that the State of Oklahoma’s laws are enforced, the financial burden placed on the State to prosecute a matter is a legitimate consideration; especially as in this case, the matter is a misdemeanor.”
Below is the video of this glaring incompetence.
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/elderly-deaf-man-beaten-charges-dropped/#65ydCbMDWy4jOBp8.99
“a father to a police officer, his son-in-law is also a cop”
hard to feel sorry for him now.. I’m also sure he hasn’t learned his lesson on what his kid has become or his son in law either for that matter.. wait until yer daughter gets her self shot, killed or beaten