OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A peaceful protest in Johnson County led to four arrests.
One man is facing a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer. His wife said she was there and claims that’s not what happened.
Darrien Richmond was greeted by his wife, Marisa, and dozens of fellow protesters outside the Johnson County Detention Center. He declined an interview, but said he wants people to stand up for the right kind of justice they deserve.
Richmond spent the night in jail following a “No Justice, No Peace” march in Overland Park.
The DA charged him with battery on a law enforcement officer. The city said the officer had cuts and a torn pair of pants.
Cell phone video captured the protest around 9 p.m. Friday, near College Boulevard and Quivira Road.
“We’re going to keep this peaceful,” one protester said in the video. “The police are here.”
Things escalated when the protesters moved into a neighborhood.
“I believe what actually started it all was there were two very racist white people that came out of their house and they were screaming profanity at these peaceful protesters as they pass by,” Marisa said.
The protesters claimed the homeowners yelled racial slurs at them.
Sean Reilly with the city of Overland Park said after three or four more warnings to stay out of the street, officers arrested four people. Among them was Darrien Richmond.
“Two of those people were me and my husband,” Marisa said. “We were trying to help a woman who had children get her in her children safely in the car because it was no longer safe for children.”
Marisa said they were headed for the sidewalk when officers took her husband into custody and then her.
“He decided to run to my aid, tell me everything was going to be OK and to comply with the officers,” Marisa said. “At that point the officers grabbed him and slammed him on the ground.”
Rachel Hudson was part of the march. She watched it unfold.
“To see it that overt in Overland Park absolutely crushed my spirits as a black woman, as someone that could possibly, one day have black son that could be treated that way it was horrid,” Hudson said.
For nearly 12 hours, about two dozen people camped out at the Johnson County jail overnight. They were waiting for Richmond to be released and woke up to spread the same message as Friday night.
“We can’t breath,” protesters chanted.
“We’re not for spray painting. We’re not for looting,” Marisa said. “We’ve never done any of that stuff. So when a protest starts to turn that way, we tend to leave because that’s not the message we’re looking for.”
Overland Park police were wearing body cameras, Reilly told FOX4. Investigators will look at the footage Monday to piece together exactly what happened.
LATEST STORIES:
