A Michigan jury took nine minutes to clear the greatest white ally ever, who went to trial after an officer took umbrage with him blasting βFuck tha Policeβ in the presence of cops.
According to M Live, James Webb, who is white, stopped at a Pontiac, Mich., BP gas station on June 5 when he noticed that an Oakland County Sheriffβs deputy had pulled over a black driver named Dejuante Franklin. As a βform of protest,β Webb pulled up near Franklinβs car playing N.W.A.βs 1984 classic βFuck tha Policeβ and left it blaring while he went into the store.
Suggested Reading
βI went over there and played that song loud. I meant to do it to the officer but as a form of protest,β Webb told Fox 2 News. βIt was already up but I turned it up louder. Didnβt mean no violence, nothing, as a complete form of protest.β
Franklin said the music angered the deputy.
βThe cop was talking to me, handing me my ticket, and was like βis he playing that for me?ββ Franklin said. βI was like βI donβt know him, you ask him that question.β He was like βIβm sick of this...Iβm going over there now.ββ
The officer followed Webb into the store and issued Webb a ticket for a noise complaint. In the police report, the officer specifically noted that the music was vulgar and offensive.
But instead of paying the ticket, Webb decided to fight the ticket in court, facing a higher fine of $500 and 93 days in jail. Luckily, someone tagged attorney Nicholas Somberg in Webbβs social media post about the story and Somberg decided to take the case pro bono.
βYou got people standing out here and youβre playing βFuck tha Policeβ cause Iβm sitting right here,β said the offended deputy. βI donβt care if itβs any other rap song, heβs dropping the F-bomb and cursing and swearing, nobody wants to hear that.β
But Somberg dismantled the officerβs reasoning, noting that the stock stereo in Webbβs 2004 Toyota Corolla couldnβt have possibly disturbed anyone, even the people who were trying to sleep at the BP gas station. Somberg also had video proof that the officer wasnβt necessarily offended by the word βfuck.β
βThe police officerβs reasoning was that he said this music was vulgar,β Somberg said in court. βAnd part of the vulgarity was that it used the F-word, but we had on the video that the first man the officer had pulled over; the officer is dropping F-bombs with him. So why is it OK for this man to hear the F-word but not other people?β
The jury took less than 10 minutes to deliver a not-guilty verdict.
Neither the Oakland County Sherriffβs office nor the Policemanβs Benevolent Association held a charity fundraiser for Webb, even though this brave citizen was clearly out of fucks to give.
Straight From
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.