Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Anchor
Google Play*Content warning for video above*
In a clip circulating online, a Black man named Delane Gordon was pulled over for a traffic stop by a white police officer and was tased when he asked to speak with the cop’s supervisor.
As the Washington Post reported, Gordon was making a DoorDash delivery on March 10 when he was pulled over by an officer in Collegedale, Tennessee. He was informed by the yet-unidentified officer that he was speeding. Gordon repeatedly asked to speak with his supervisor, by which point the cop had pulled out his taser. Ordered to get out of the vehicle, Gordon refused, and around this point is when the graphic video begins.
In the clip, Gordon can be seen holding out his license as he sits in the car. “Get out!” the officer said at multiple points. Gordon replied, “You can’t do that, officer, because I called for your supervisor. I have my license.” Despite the clear displaying of identification, the cop replied, “Your refused to give your information. I told you to get out of the car. Now you’re resisting.”
Gordon calmly said he felt “uncomfortable,” to which the officer responded, “I don’t give a fuck what you feel like, I said get out.” He attempted to pull Gordon out of the car, then deployed his taser.
The video was shared by Gordon’s lawyer on March 18 in order to “spark conversation” and “raise awareness” regarding the interaction. Attorney Ryan Wheeler added that questioning an officer “shouldn’t be met with an immediate escalation, shouldn’t be met with an officer interpreting that exchange as a challenge to his authority.” Gordon was unarmed throughout the incident, and was charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of justice.
Earlier this month, the Hamilton County District Attorney’s office requested an investigation into the March 10 traffic stop, although the details of the stop were not disclosed at the time. “We anticipate a release of the full body camera video and Internal Affairs report, as soon as those investigations are closed,” said Collegedale Police Department’s Lt. Jamie Heath.
