Police Abuse Students

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Kyle –

John Darr here. I wrote this letter while I was angry and reviewed it only once. You are a talented writer and share your brother’s incredible editorial eye. I confidently give you permission to make the changes you need to secure this letter’s publication. Any change considered major or one that alters the tone will need to be OK’d by me. You can call me at 270 535 5087. Thank you for accepting this letter and I hope you can find room for it.

John Darr

City Officer Matt Edwards is Bowling Green’s finest.

Saturday night, he responded to a fight at the Sigma Chi fraternity house.

Without hesitation or discretion, Officer Edwards pushed through that big ole’ crowd and shot pepper spray into the faces of the students near the fight. It didn’t matter that those men AND women weren’t throwing punches. They were there and he is Bowling Green’s finest. Yep, he even blinded the pretty ladies.

And when he left the innocent sightless and choking, he zeroed in on those brave men trying to break up the fight. As the men who originally started the fight ran away, Officer Edwards stayed put and exhibited incredible accuracy and stealth, blinding the smallest man there, a Sigma Chi named Aaron. Unaware of the action behind him, Aaron was attending to his wounded fraternity brothers. Aaron turned around and got hit with pepper spray at point blank range by our hero Officer Edwards. Edwards didn’t just graze Aaron, oh no. Edwards hosed him down, so much that Aaron had trouble seeing anything clearly for several hours. Well, needless to say, Aaron fell to his knees at the feet of Bowling Green’s Almighty Officer Edwards. But Officer Edwards wasn’t finished. He wanted more. Officer Edwards pulled Aaron’s hands from his burning eyes, and despite Aaron’s cries of pain, he cuffed that young man’s hands behind his back. And with all the strength he could muster, Officer Edwards picked up Aaron and slammed his head onto the hood of a car, producing a cut on his ear.

And when I yelled, “Hey, that’s not right!” Officer Edwards commanded another officer to hold down Aaron. He came to me, grabbed my arm, twisted it behind my back, pushed me to the car and slammed my face into the hood. And boy did I deserve it. I actually spoke against the Almighty Officer Edwards. He charged me with alcohol intoxication and menacing because I put him “in reasonable fear of injury.” I was apparently so drunk I was “unsteady on (my) feet and a danger to (myself) if left alone.” So Officer Edwards said I was a bumbling drunk who miraculously had the capacity to run at him and cause him fear. Actually, I am John Darr, a graduate student who will not sit idle while someone abuses their power. Officer Edwards and other members of law enforcement refused my multiple requests for a blood alcohol test. I have confirmed multiple eye-witnesses that agree with this account of the abuses Officer Edwards committed. I also sat handcuffed in the back of a cruiser while city officers laughed, “did you see me spray that kid?” and “I love using the pepper on these college f***s.” They were overcome with excitement. It was for them a good time.

Officer Wilson (#165) and Officer Hughes (#159) signed their name on Edwards’s versin, which is in my possession. However, good journalism will discover that officers signed conflicting reports of what happened, how many were fighting, and the crowd’s involvement.

I have every intention to pursue action against Officer Edwards and the City of Bowling Green. I have contacted the ACLU and sought representation concerning these things and other violations that occurred while being detained. I know several of you (all that were blinded and all falsely arrested or cited) bore witness to this abuse of power and feel violated as well. I am arranging a meeting Friday in front of the statue of Henry Hardin Cherry at 4 p.m. This will be an organized attempt to realize our options and demonstrate our unity. Your rights may have been violated and you need to hold the offending accountable. I also call on our community leaders to rally their support and attend as well. And President Gary Ransdell, will you let your students, your children of education, be beaten and blinded? We shall see who supports us in this time of need.

And as we witnessed Saturday night, Officer Matt Edwards is Bowling Green’s finest.

Officer Matt Edwards is a coward.