31 Aug
2013

Press Release: Austin Police Department Corporal Ricky Jones Suspended for Failing to Identify Himself and for Threatening Peaceful Streets Project Founder Antonio Buehler

Press Release: Austin Police Department Corporal Ricky Jones Suspended for Failing to Identify Himself and for Threatening Peaceful Streets Project Founder Antonio Buehler

Austin, TX – By suspending Corporal Ricky Jones #4846, the Austin Police Department has finally disciplined an officer who has acted inappropriately toward members of the Peaceful Streets Project.

On March 15th, Peaceful Streets Project founder Antonio Buehler and several other Peaceful Streets Project volunteers, including Peaceful Streets Project Activist of the Year, Richard Boland, were downtown observing Austin Police Officers and Code Enforcement Officers interacting with a man who was projecting non-commercial images onto the side of a building. The night prior, Austin Police Department arrested that man for projecting similar images, and then arrested someone else who was filming the arrest, for alleged Interference with Public Duties.

At one point during the interaction, an officer took the gentleman’s ID away from him and disappeared for a couple of minutes. When the gentleman got his ID back, he asked why it was taken in the first place, and what was done with his ID. The officer then threatens the gentleman by saying “don’t talk yourself into something you don’t want to have happen.”

While Antonio Buehler and other Peaceful Streets Project volunteers were filming, Austin Police Department Corporal Ricky Jones threatened Antonio Buehler several times in both his professional and personal capacities. Specifically, he threatened to arrest, to come after and to file charges against Buehler if this video was uploaded to facebook.

While, Ricky Jones was clearly in violation of several Austin Police Department policies, the Peaceful Streets Project was surprised to hear that Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo decided to discipline Jones. Jones was disciplined for failing to identify himself to members of the Peaceful Streets Project, however, when CPL Quint Sebek assaulted Antonio Buehler and refused to identify himself, when Officer Eads refused to identify himself, when Officer Gobourne previously failed to identify himself (video available if requested by media), as well as other officers doing the same over the past year, those officers were never disciplined. Additionally, Art Acevedo cited policies prohibiting police from threatening or arresting people who are filming police but not interfering with police activity, yet when Adam Johnson arrested Antonio Buehler and Sarah Dickerson, when Justin Berry arrested Antonio Buehler, and when Lynn Foster was arrested under the guise of failing to identify himself despite not being suspected of a crime, those officers were never disciplined. Finally, when Antonio Buehler was assaulted and arrested for taking pictures of and calling out APD officers Patrick Oborski and Robert Snider, those cops were neither disciplined nor arrested.

We see the action against CPL Ricky Jones as a good opportunity for Art Acevedo to start holding his officers accountable, however, we would like to see Art Acevedo do so on a more consistent basis, especially when his cops commit crimes against those who are filming the police. We recognize that there is a disincentive to Acevedo punishing or arresting his officers when they commit crimes, as that increases the likelihood of a successful civil lawsuit against the city, but we are hoping that Acevedo is willing to put justice and accountability first.

Video of the threats against Antonio Buehler by Ricky Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6eOBuoAp3U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSzEk25U2RM

More information: http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/apd-detective-suspended-video-incident-12214.shtml

Memo: http://www.keyetv.com/images/Jones%20-%2008.28.13.pdf

4 Comments

  • Great work guys…… Keep it going. I am a Desert Storm Combat Veteran who salutes you. Semper Fi Brother.

    EBS

  • I am completely amazed Assevedo suspended one of his officers for what occured, especially since it’s Mr Buehler the nemesis of APD. On the other hand It does apear the Chief is concerned about his job in that the City Manager, who should be fired for many reasons, has asked for a federal investigation regarding all the police murders on unarmed citizens ironically shot in the back of their heads. Ott the snot is worried about his job as well necessitating his feigned call for the feds to investigate. On its face it looks like a bunch of Cover Your Ass (CYA) by snOtt and Assevedo rather than anything remotely concernded with correct action on the part of the police department in advancing rational police conduct.

    One other possiblility on Assevedo’s suspension of the officer is the officer may have built up reprimands in his file we’re not privy to see and this suspension is a result of the chain of command looking for anything to suspend the cop. We just couldn’t know anything like that.

  • Veteran Antonio Buehler continues to earn the Love and respect from the entire world by forever waging war on evil corruption and tyranny everywhere!

  • I can understand if the policechief doesn’t want to empty the streets of his forces by suspending them retroactively for unprofessional acts but if this is what they’re doing till keep busy, then they aren’t really needed anyways.

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