Reading and spelling is an important skill to have people. Unless you’re a professional athlete, there are not many jobs where it isn’t imperative, especially law enforcement. Let me explain why.
In October 2021, Silvester Hayes (pay attention to the spelling of his name), a Black man, was driving to pick up breakfast for his four children when he claimed that two Dallas police officers, pulled him over, arrested, beat, and tased him saying that he was the suspect in a domestic violence case, according to NBC News.
The problem is that officers were looking for a man named “Sylvester,” not “Silvester.”
Body camera footage of the incident shows Hayes being violently yanked out of his vehicle, slammed onto the curb, and placed in handcuffs. One of the officers can be seen putting his knee on Hayes’ neck (something we’ve seen officers doing to Black people way too often).
Throughout the video, Hayes can be heard screaming, “Help!” multiple times.
The officers later zip-tie Hayes’ feet and arms and place him in the back of a police car. Then, one of the officers ran his license and noticed that they got the wrong man. They can be heard on video saying, “Fuck, we got the wrong guy.”
Despite realizing the error of their ways, Hayes claims that officers still charged him with resisting arrest, and unlawful possession of a weapon, leading to him spending multiple days in jail.
Later in the video, three of the officers can be heard discussing if Hayes is a felon, with them concluding that he’s not.
Body cam video of the entire incident is below:
According to NBC News, Hayes has filed a lawsuit against the city and the officers who arrested him, claiming that the incident cost him his home and job. He also believes that he was racially profiled.
The officers named in the suit are Holly Harris and Walter Guab.
Although Hayes says the charges were dismissed more than a year after the incident, he’s still looking for some sort of justice against the officers and the city, according to NBC News.