A black LGBT rights activist and former state Senate candidate was arrested in North Carolina Monday for distributing literature on voting rights.
Police say Ty Turner violated a city ordinance by distributing the leaflets on parked cars.
Turner was flyering the cars as part of an event held in response to the state’s history of racial profiling and violating voter’s rights.
Turner told Think Progress: “They said they would charge me for distributing literature.”
“I asked [the officer] for the ordinance number [I was violating], because they can’t put handcuffs on you if they cannot tell you why they’re detaining you.
“I said, ‘Show me where it’s illegal to do this.’ But he would not do it.
“The officer got mad and grabbed me. Then he told me that I was resisting arrest.”
Turner says police took him to three different spots other than jail after arresting him, including an empty parking lot.
He told ThinkProgress: “They knew they were in the wrong.”
Turner was not charged with any crime and was released from custody after being given a citation soon after his arrest.
Turner is openly gay and campaigned for Senate with a platform endorsing equality and inclusion for LGBT North Carolinians.
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