BJL claims police have threatened Prof Perry and demands university statement
Princeton police say they followed protocol
Around 1am Monday night, the Black Justice League released the following statement via Facebook, asking the university to address Professor Perry’s arrest and claiming the Princeton Police Department has made threats against her “for speaking publicly about her experience”:
Asanni York ’17, whose email address is listed at the bottom of the BJL’s post, told The Daily Princetonian: “The police department is already threatening Professor Perry and the University needs to stand in solidarity with her.”
Professor Imani Perry
Professor Perry also said earlier Monday via Facebook that she had received threats, though she said most of them came from strangers and only referenced one “thinly veiled” threat made by a police officer:
PPD’s Chief of Police Nicholas Sutter told us regarding Professor Perry:
“Dr. Perry was stopped for speeding on 2-6-16 and subsequently her driving privileges were found to be suspended in NJ and a warrant for outstanding parking tickets was found. To my knowledge there were two unpaid parking tickets that caused the court to issue a warrant.
“Per law and department guidelines Dr. Perry was arrested and transported to our headquarters where she posted bail and was released. Based on some of the allegations we have received we are referring the incident to the Mercer County Prosecutors Office for investigation.”
The story has made its way into the national conversation about race and police treatment of minorities.
According to a report from The Washington Post on Monday evening, Perry was stopped driving 67 mph in a 45 mph zone, at which time police discovered an outstanding warrant for her arrest due to two unpaid tickets.
Sutter added New Jersey law requires officers to act on any active arrest warrant by taking the person in question into custody.
“It’s common, it’s not intrusive. I understand the perception and concern but it was well within policy.
“I totally understand, any time someone is arrested it’s traumatic—I totally understand perceptions, and I’m very sympathetic to perceptions. A police officer has an extremely difficult job in this atmosphere but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s something we have to adapt to. We’re doing a lot of community outreach, and being extremely transparent. … We’re open to discussion and critique—it’s a healthy conversation.”
According to the New Jersey Parking Adjudication Act, a first-time offender who drives with a suspended license is subject to a $500 (unless the suspension was due to a DUI, in which case it may be prolonged). For a second-time offender, the fine becomes $750 and the offender will be imprisoned in county jail for five days are fewer.
Professor Perry has said she had no opposition to paying the required fines but “my quarrel is with how I was treated.”
She has issued several statements via social media about the arrest details, as well as about how she feels the incident fits into a larger discussion about race and police justice.