Akia Townes alleges she was ticketed for walking on the wrong side of the street. She and her husband, Brad Townes, are now calling for an apology for what they call an “excessive show of power.”
Akia Townes was going down Madison Boulevard on the morning of April 2, attempting to track down her escaped dog, when she got stopped by police.
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Akia Townes told KDFM, “Two cops stopped me. They walked out with their hands on their guns, and then they asked me to see my ID.” Her house was only two doors away, and she was walking on the right side of the road with traffic.
Her husband recorded the incident, which has since gone viral. A police officer informed him that “she was not walking on this side of the road.” Then Brad Townes replied, “What does it matter?” The officer answered, “It’s a traffic violation,” to which Brad responded, “No, it’s not.”
The Texas Transportation Code states that if there isn’t a sidewalk, pedestrians must face incoming vehicles and walk on the left side of the road. Officers called for backup after a few raised voices heated up the situation. Groves PD explained that two officers were in field training, so four officers were present on scene.
“It’s just very an excessive force of power for me just trying to go and find my dog,” Akia Townes stated. The couple has hired an attorney to contest the ticket, believing it was an abuse of power for a minor offense. “You could have easily said ‘hey ma’am,’ and I could have explained to you what I was trying to do, but then you threatened my husband and threatened me to go to jail,” she continued.
Her husband added, “I feel like they looked and saw an easy target, and nobody was going to come and defend and nobody was going to come help.”
According to Groves City Marshal Chris Robin, the department doesn’t endorse racism and prioritizes safety.
Robin stated, “We’ve seen so many different minor ordinance violations turn into something tragic, and we don’t want that to occur. We want to be able to make a difference in making our community safer.”
According to the Groves Police Department, eight people have been arrested for the exact violation since January 1, 2023, including five whites, two Asians, and one African American. To maintain transparency, the department publishes an annual racial profiling report.
Attorney Langston Adams told the publication that he spoke with the couple and investigated the stop and ticket.
“It’s not a question of whether she was breaking the law,” said Adams. “We believe it’s selective enforcement and racial profiling. Why didn’t the husband get a ticket? He was also walking on the wrong side of the road and he’s white. I believe they used her walking on the wrong side of the road as a pretext to stop her.”
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