The case against Martese Johnson was continued until May 28 so state police can finish their criminal investigation of the March 18 arrest by state Alcoholic Beverage Control police.
Terry McAuliffe ordered the investigation after images and recordings of Johnson’s arrest, his faced bloodied, spread swiftly on social media. Johnson is African American and has called the police racist.
Johnson, 20, of Chicago, was expected to plead not guilty Thursday to charges of public intoxication and obstruction of justice, but his attorney asked for the delay in the General District Court proceeding.
More than 100 students and friends, all dressed in black, filled the seats and lined the back of the courtroom. Johnson, in a black suit and black-and-white pinstriped shirt, glanced around the room at his supporters. A scab and several discolored blotches of skin were still evident on his forehead.
A supporter explained that the black attire of students and friends was symbolic of “solidarity and unity” with Johnson.
The Johnson arrest came two years after another U.Va. student was arrested by agents who mistook a carton of sparkling water for beer.
On Wednesday night, the U.Va. Student Council passed a resolution calling for an end to ABC agents enforcing the laws. The proposal calls for agents to be stripped of their law enforcement powers, asks the General Assembly to change the state code regarding ABC arrest powers and requires monthly communication between students and police.
I think that the ABC agents should not rapidly assume whether or not one is drinking a intoxicated drink. They have shown how unfortunate they can be by screwing up on a few cases for the past time. Racism has turned the public and the media into a big dispute over who is wrong or right. Many say they disagree with the punishment and cruelness of the state police and don’t think Johnson should have deserved such a cruel beating to the face. Others may agree to what the state police have accomplished and believe to see him go down hard. Many believe that the act of racism has turned all the “colored” people to be in harms way with the arms force. Instead of bringing peace and harmony into many lives, they have caused us to react and stand up for one another. Just like the students in the university of Virginia, they went to the court and chose to stand and represent for Johnson as he claims to be innocent.
I think that the 3 core democratic values that this comprehends to is Life, Liberty, and Equality.
To view the video on the arrest: Arrest Video