A pair of Black dance instructors traveling with one of their white students got a rude awakening from Houston police over the weekend.
Emmanuel “Cross” Hurd, a dance instructor based in Tulsa, another instructor and 13-year-old Landry Thompson traveled from Oklahoma to Houston over the weekend for an industry training event. Hurd was given temporary guardianship of Thompson by the girl’s parents and all was well until Saturday (Nov. 3o) night, according to an exclusive report from KHOU.
After a day of training, the exhausted trio stopped at a gas station trying to locate the hotel they would be staying. After Hurd and Landry dozed off for a second, they were surrounded by cops shortly after.
From KHOU:
They said before they knew it, the police showed up and surrounded the car.
“And so I was kind of freaked out and surprised by it,” said Landry.
“They just pulled us out of the car and put our hands behind our backs like we were criminals,” added Hurd.
Hurd tried to explained he had a notarized letter from Thompson’s parents, but they still handcuffed the group and threw them into the back of the squad car. Later, Thompson was sent to Child Protective Services much to the dismay of her mother.
“I was horrified,” said Destiny Thompson. “She was with the people I wanted her to be with. She was with people I trusted. And now she was taken away from those people and in a shelter with people I didn’t know.”
Mrs. Thompson was told she would have to fly from Oklahoma to get her daughter out of the shelter, but later police allowed her to go back to Hurd.
Houston police have not issued an apology to the Thompsons or Hurd, and have not made any official comments.
As suspect as the scene may have appeared, it’s kind of weird Houston cops didn’t take the higher road with the proof, right?
Hit the jump to see KHOU’s video report on the dance instructors and the arrest.
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Photo: KHOU
