Activist Ben Frazier plans to file federal civil rights lawsuit if trespassing charge isn’t dropped

2 years ago 254

Frazier was arrested past week aft refusing to permission earlier a quality league by Gov. DeSantis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Community activistic Ben Frazier and lawyer John Phillips said Monday that they volition record a national civilian rights suit if a misdemeanor trespassing complaint against Frazier is not dropped.

Frazier, of the Northside Coalition, was arrested pursuing a confrontation with members of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ staff anterior to a quality league past week by the politician successful Jacksonville.

Frazier showed up Tuesday to the planned quality league with wellness officials successful Duval County, wherever helium and different activists made wide they wanted to face the politician connected his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and different issues. Instead, Frazier was confronted by members of the governor’s unit and flatly refused to budge erstwhile they repeatedly asked him to leave.

Frazier was removed from the gathering successful handcuffs and arrested connected the misdemeanor trespassing charge. DeSantis yet held his quality league elsewhere connected the property.

At a quality league Monday morning, Frazier and Phillips said they anticipation the complaint is dropped, and if it is not, they program to record a national civilian rights lawsuit.

“From the transgression standpoint, oregon citation standpoint, we are asking for a dismissal of the charge,” Phillips said. “Two, determination was an connection astatine the gathering for a scheduled gathering with the governor, the governor’s bureau — we privation to instrumentality them up connected that and code this.”

So far, Phillips has not asked for that gathering but plans to bash so.

“I americium not slinging mud astatine this politician personally. I americium talking astir the issues. I privation the governor’s bureau and his proxies to enactment connected people and code the issues,” Frazier said.

In a connection to News4JAX connected Monday, DeSantis’ property caput Christina Pushaw said: “The politician wasn’t adjacent alert of Mr. Frazier’s trespassing nor his apprehension until aft it happened, erstwhile a newsman asked him astir it astatine the property league aboriginal that morning.”

Frazier said helium besides plans to writer the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for not pursuing its protocol successful arresting those with a disability. Frazier was not allowed to instrumentality his motorized scooter, which helium uses to get around.

Frazier is nary alien to protest. He’s confronted authorities officials successful the past and said helium volition proceed to bash so.

“We volition proceed to march to rally and show and to assemble and protestation and we volition beryllium heard. In America, we person a close to explicit ourselves and to request that our elected officials behave similar existent nationalist servants. They indispensable enactment for the radical and we indispensable clasp them accountable and instrumentality your questions with the public,” Frazier said.

Meanwhile, State Attorney Melissa Nelson has asked the politician to name an autarkic authoritative successful Frazier’s lawsuit successful airy of the SAO’s ongoing narration with Frazier “in bid to debar immoderate quality of impropriety.”