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According to his rap sheet, Earl Sampson, 28, is a persistent trespasser who’s been arrested many times at the 207 Quickstop, a Miami Gardens, Fla., convenience store. But according to the Quickstop’s owner, he’s an employee. Alex Saleh grew so troubled by how the police treated his employees and customers that he installed video cameras. They’ve recorded aggressive searches of people, warrantless searches of the business, violent arrests, false reports, and of course arrests for trespassing of people permitted to be there — such as Sampson, who Saleh has told police is an employee. Saleh once invited the police in, agreeing to participate in a “zero-tolerance program” to reduce crime, but he changed his mind after he saw their behavior. Police refused to accept his withdrawal, and when he filed a complaint, they stepped up their shows of force, even sending five officers who stood silently, blocking two aisles. (AC/Miami Herald) ...Is this even about enforcing laws anymore?
Original Publication Date: 01 December 2013
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 20.

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