Marlin Gipson and his brothers were cutting grass in their Harris County, Texas neighborhood on July 18 when police approached them. Gipson recorded a confrontation between him and the officer, who he says later came to his home and brutally arrested him while also assaulting his family.
Chron.com reports:
Gipson claims he was putting business cards in neighbors doors for his lawn care business and at numerous points holds a card up to the camera. The precinct has responded to roughly 20 property crimes in the neighborhood over the past two months, Rosen said.
The video shows the deputy asking for Gipson’s ID, which he said he did not have. When the deputy asked for his birthday, he provided the wrong date, Rosen said. As the deputy then reached for his handcuffs and told Gipson to turn around and place his hands on his head, the 21-year-old began to walk away while asking the deputy for his business card.
“I was scared of what might happen next so I backed up slowly and started heading home,” Gipson wrote on youcaring.com, where he’s raising money for his business.
Other people with Gipson in the video can be heard saying, “you can’t just cause he’s black.”
There have been conflicting reports about Gipson’s age and name, with some outlets reporting as both 18 and 19. The Houston Chronicle piece referenced above states Gipson is 21. Gipson’s video was published to YouTube Tuesday (July 25) and has since gone viral.
The outlet did further digging and discovered that Gipson, who resides in Houston, had an outstanding charge from 2015, and two pending charges dating back to April related to offering false information to police. An attorney from Philadelphia flew into Houston this week to meet with Gipson and the family.
In a YouCaring fundraising page description, Gipson explained the situation from his perspective. The crowdfunding campaign is aimed to help expand his lawn mowing business and has raised $6,500 thus far. The page also features images of Gipson and his brothers, along with bite marks from a K-9 unit he claimed was set to attack him inside his home.
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Photo: YouCaring
