Marilyn Jean Fields, a 66-year-old Black woman from North Carolina renowned in her community for her volunteer work, admits she violated the law when she parked in the fire lane in front of a Piggly Wiggly supermarket on a rainy day to purchase a loaf of bread – along with several other cars that were also illegally parked that day.
But she said that did not justify a 22-year-old Kinston police officer named Karl “Blake” Davis from pulling her out of the car, slamming her against her car, then forcing her face down on the asphalt as he sat on top of her, ordering her to “stop resisting.”
“I’m not resisting,” Fields can be heard saying on a video recorded by a witness as the cop sits with his full weight on top of her.
The incident took place on July 18 at about 6:50 p.m. after Fields pulled up to the grocery store during the pouring rain to buy a loaf of bread and noticed other cars parked in the fire lane which is a common occurrence in that city, she said.
However, once inside the store, an employee came on the loudspeaker and advised customers to move their cars from the fire lane because Kinston police had arrived and were issuing citations.
Fields said she ran out of the store without purchasing the bread to move her car, telling herself she would just buy it another day.
Once outside, she spotted a Kinston police officer issuing another driver a citation, so she walked toward her car in the hopes of leaving.
However, once she pulled out of the fire lane and headed towards the exit of the parking lot, the same cop stepped in front of the car and waved her down, ordering her to stop.
He then demanded her driver’s license to issue her a citation. Fields said the cop spoke to her in an aggressive tone as if she were a “dog” and asked the officer if he spoke to all citizens in a similar tone.
But before she knew it, he was pulling her out of the car and slamming her against the car before placing her face down on the wet asphalt with his knee on her back.
A witness began video recording the altercation after the cop was already on top of her, telling her to stop resisting and to place her hands behind her back. But she said it was difficult placing one arm behind her back because it was under her body, and he had his full weight on her.
She was then transported to the police station, where the cop left her car running in the parking lot with the doors unlocked and her purse sitting on the passenger seat.
Members of the community who knew Fields contacted her family to let them know about the running car, so they drove to the parking lot and secured the car, she said in a phone interview with Atlanta Black Star.
Police Statement
The Kinston Police Department said they initially were called to deal with a driver who had locked their keys inside the car but then the officer noticed cars parked in the fire lane and began issuing citations.
The posted the following statement on Facebook on July 19, describing their side of the story:
KPD officers were called to 2407 N Herritage Street regarding a vehicle parked in a fire lane with the keys locked inside. Upon arrival, officers began addressing multiple fire lane violations. During this time, Marilyn Fields (66 of Kinston) attempted to drive away from the fire lane. Officers stopped Fields and attempted to address the violation, but she refused to comply with the investigation. Fields continued to resist officers and was eventually taken into custody. She was cited for the fire lane parking violation and arrested for resisting a public officer. Fields was released on an unsecured bond.
Fields’ nephew, who goes by King Yari on Facebook, said Kinston police have a long history of racial profiling in the town with a population of about 20,000 people made up mostly of Black people.
But despite the population of Kinston being made up of more than 64 percent Black people and white people making up less than 25 percent, according to the U.S. Census, the police department has only a handful of Black officers, said her nephew.
In 2019, Kinston police officers met with members of the community to discuss ways to improve the systemic racism that has resulted in inequalities between white and Black people, according to WITN.
In 2017, Kinston Black residents filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming the city was targeting historic Black houses to demolish under a condemnation program while ignoring white homes.
The suit was dismissed at the lower levels before making its way to the North Carolina Supreme Court which determined in July that the lower court had erred in its decision so it vacated and remanded the case, meaning it will go back to the appellate court to allow judges to remedy the error, according to Capital B News.
