The Council of Elders Relating to Young People, a New York coalition of senior citizens, is taking action to support young victims of racial profiling. State of Maryland vs. Mark Dobbins & Levi Woods, will be heard on December 1, 2004, at 1:00 pm, at the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore County, 900 Walker Avenue, Catonsville, Maryland. The case involves the false arrest of two young Black men who were driving a newly purchased Mercedes Benz without license plates, but with 30-day registration tags. The issues are racial profiling, excessive force, and police brutality on Interstate 95 by the Maryland Transportation Police Force.
On March 11, 2004, Mark Dobbins, his wife Wanda Dobbins, and his brother-in-law Levi Woods, were heading South on I-95 in a newly purchsed 1995 Mercedes Benz with temporary license plates. They were stopped by a Maryland Transportation Authority Police who was traveling North on I-95. The officer claimed he could not identify the temporary tags' State of issuance or expiration date.
After approaching the car, the officer saw that the information on the temporary tags was timely, and legible. A run on Mr. Dobbins' license also confirmed that he was the owner of the car in good standing.
Additional officers approached the car and began demanding documentation from Dobbins that he had already provided to the first officer, and the routine stop escalated into a vicious verbal and physical assault on Dobbins and Woods, and the false arrest of both men.
Both Dobbins and Woods were dragged from the car and beaten by the officers, and Mrs. Dobbins was abandoned on the side of the highway without transportation.
Ironically, both men have been charged with second degree assault of an officer, reckless endangerment of an officer, resisting arrest, and several other violations stemming from conflict with the officers -- none of which relate to the reason for the stop.
The Council of Elders is reaching out to the Community to support the youth and monitor the courtroom. "We are reclaiming our incarcerated youth caught in the penal system of America," said Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely, Community Mayor of Harlem and the organizer of the Council of Elders.
Contact: Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely, Community Mayor of Harlem
Phone: 212.368.3739