News Article: Birmingham Band Director Arrested

[alabama mike1]

Alabama school band director says he was 'just doing my job' before police arrested him

An Alabama high school band director Johnny Mims says he was just “doing my job” when police officers arrested him and shocked him with a stun gun after he refused to immediately stop the band.

apnews.com

This is crazy.

 

[B1GTide]

Seems like a massive overreaction on the part of the police to me.

 

[BamaHoHo]

Seems like a massive overreaction on the part of the police to me.

All he had to do was stop the band from playing and leave. He was warned repeatedly. He brought this upon himself.

 

[NationalTitles18]

All he had to do was stop the band from playing and leave. He was warned repeatedly. He brought this upon himself.

There are limits to police power and the police appear to have exceeded them.

I see this quickly going to NS, where it likely belongs.

 

[Ole Man Dan]

There are limits to police power and the police appear to have exceeded them.

I see this quickly going to NS, where it likely belongs.

I was a Highschool Band Director for 5 years. My Bands played after every game, win or lose.
Later on I was a Police Officer for 30+ years.
In my opinion the Officers involved exced their authority.
If there was a valid safety threat, the Officers should have discussed the danger with the Band Direstor, and ASKED him to cut short the concert after the game. That didn't happen.
The Band Director was ordered ... That didn't go over well.

 

[TitleWave]

I was a Highschool Band Director for 5 years. My Bands played after every game, win or lose.
Later on I was a Police Officer for 30+ years.
In my opinion the Officers involved exced their authority.
If there was a valid safety threat, the Officers should have discussed the danger with the Band Direstor, and ASKED him to cut short the concert after the game. That didn't happen.
The Band Director was ordered ... That didn't go over well.

Just think: If you had been omniscient about the stanzas of your career progression, you could've arrested yourself for disturbing the peace, refused to press charges, thrown yourself at the mercy of the court, been exonerated for lack of evidence produced by your po-po persona, then picked up your baton and led the band through a rousing rendition of "Fools Rush In...Where Angels Fear to Tread" (or taze!) and then celebrated a 48-0 loss to your archrival as doing community service for your court fees! Remember the "American Pie" cri de coeur "The marching band refused to yield!"

 

[OakMtn4Bama]

There is board of education policy that bands are not allowed to play after the game and must immediately go to the buses in case of violence. The police probably over reacted, but it is fairly simple not to get tased.

 

[jthomas666]

All he had to do was stop the band from playing and leave. He was warned repeatedly. He brought this upon himself.

The band had agreed with the other school's band to play several songs after the game. Minor's band was in the middle of their last song when the police approached them. The band director said, just let us finish this song, then we'll leave.

Band parents say students fainted, panicked after Johnny Mims arrest: ‘Those kids are very traumatized’

Ambulances apparently arrived at the field because some students were hurt.

www.al.com

Mims’ band was playing “Talkin’ Out the Side of Your Neck” Thursday night, about 18 minutes after the game ended, when Birmingham police officers approached school staff.

On Wednesday, Mims said he and the Jackson-Olin band director had agreed to play three stand tunes after the game. In some HBCUs and predominantly Black high schools, once the football game ends, bands stay on to play for families and supporters in what is commonly called the “The 5th Quarter.”

For the police to use these sorts of tactics to clear a stadium 18 minutes after the game is ridiculous. In addition, it's pretty stupid to turn off the lights when the bands are still in the stands--several band members were injured in falls as they tried to leave.

Full disclosure: My wife use to be the Minor color guard sponsor, and is friends with the current sponsor.

 

[NationalTitles18]

What was the reason for the order from police to disperse or stop engaging in first amendment protected activity?

Was there actual violence?

A crime?

A threat?

Did the owner of the property attempt to trespass anyone there prior to this happening?

If not, then the police were giving unlawful orders.

And their use of force to enforce unlawful orders was unjustified.

Police are not gods.

They have an obligation to work within the law and to protect the rights of every citizen.

 

[Bazza]

Put the blame wherever you would like. But here's the reality.

Poor communication skills on both sides.

Lack of conflict resolution skills on both sides.

The worst part is how ADULTS were behaving in front of the YOUNG people....on both sides.

Lastly.....if there's a takeaway here.....do not EVER argue with law enforcement on the side of the road. There is ZERO upside to doing that. Take it to the courts!

Otherwise you are ALWAYS going to risk bodily harm.

You won't see my take mentioned anywhere though....just people taking the same old "my side vs. your side" route.......

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Put the blame wherever you would like. But here's the reality.

Poor communication skills on both sides.

Lack of conflict resolution skills on both sides.

The worst part is how ADULTS were behaving in front of the YOUNG people....on both sides.

Lastly.....if there's a takeaway here.....do not EVER argue with law enforcement on the side of the road. There is ZERO upside to doing that. Take it to the courts!

Otherwise you are ALWAYS going to risk bodily harm.

You won't see my take mentioned anywhere though....just people taking the same old "my side vs. your side" route.......

I guess you didn't get the memo. There is no shared fault in anything anymore. It's me and people who think like me vs. anybody else and people who don't think like me. And if you don't think like me, you're a knuckle-dragging moron, and a horrible human being on top of that.

I agree that the police overstepped. But when asked to stop playing, the director didn't simply ask to finish the song. He responded with, "Get out of my face," multiple times.

As a leader of high-school aged kids, he should have asked to complete the song. If he was denied (and I doubt he would have been if he had asked in a polite manner), he should have stopped, and continued the discussion at another time.

Otherwise, he's teaching the kids that, so long as you disagree with the request, it's OK to ignore the police and tell them to "Get out of my face."

The Band Director could have de-fused the situation, but chose to amplify the tension. Doesn't mean the police should have tased him, just that he was in a position to calm things down, and chose not to do that.