Two Sides to Jason Donald’s Story?

Jason Donald (c) and his attorney Mark Sampson at a press conference concerning Donald's December arrest. Donald is out of jail after Black Sovereign Nation raised $1,500 to help pay off his bond. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Activists continue to rally behind Jason Donald, the man punched and Tased by Austin Police officers during an arrest at a Downtown gas station on Dec. 12 ("Grisly Weekend for APD," Dec. 22, 2017). Black Sovereign Nation and Grassroots Leadership held a press conference with Donald's representatives outside of the courthouse last Friday to tell Donald's side of the story. "The legal justification that the police used to stop Jason Donald was that he was jaywalking," said his attorney, Mark Sampson. "He was walking in a crowd of people. They stopped him. They never gave him a citation for jaywalking. They took him to the side, and then they pummeled him. Jason was charged with resisting arrest. I've been practicing law for a long time, and I find that resisting arrest is a common charge that people are charged with when they are abused by police."

Police picked Donald up on the initial jaywalking charge, suspecting him of dealing drugs in the area. He was later charged with manufacturing or delivery and resisting arrest.

Cell phone footage shows a handcuffed Donald being led out of the convenience store, before cutting away, re-centering its focus on the woman recording the video. When it flips back to Donald, he's on the ground underneath three officers. Police Chief Brian Manley says there is surveillance video that shows Donald popping out of his handcuffs and trying to get away. (Indeed, the woman's footage may confirm he'd slipped the handcuff.) The resulting scrape, Manley said, was justified because the officers were trying to restrain him. Asked whether Donald denies the department's chronology, Grassroots Leadership's Chris Har­ris said it only makes his organization more determined for true transparency and accountability: If there is such a video, APD should release it to the community. Don­ald's attorney disagreed with APD's account, but said he'd rather not get into a back-and-forth.