Detroit Police Department of Michigan State has arrested a wrong black person after their facial recognition system matched it with a robber who lifted a shop. The victim, Robert Williams was in custody for more than 24 hours before being released on bail and is due to court hearing. After confirming this wrongful act, ALCU has filed a case against the police department asking them to stop using facial recognition tech.
More Black Stories Coming Up
Stories of Black people being busted or mocked were surfacing on the internet after the movement, Black Lives Matter gained momentum. This is due to the unjust death of George Floyd, who was died in Minneapolis police custody when a police officer kneeled his neck, choking him to death. And now, a story of wrongful arrest was revealed by Unilad.
Via NPR, Robert Williams was arrested on wrongful charges and held under police custody for more than a day in January this year. This started with Detroit Police hitting Williams’s door and arresting him right in front of his wife and daughters, aged 2 and 5.
He was then taken to a police interrogation room and shown three pictures, two from the surveillance camera of a shop, that was looted by a black man, and a photo of Williams driver’s license.
Looking at them, William explained that he was not the right person caught and held one of the two pictures and said, “I hope you don’t think all Black people look alike.” He was detained for 30 hours and then released on bail later.
But still, the damage was done already. Williams’ mugshot, fingerprints, and DNA samples were taken and now has a police record. Moreover, they think Williams being arrested in front of his daughters would create a negative impact on police too.
Phil Mayor of Michigan’s American Civil Liberties Union said, “They never even asked him any questions before arresting him. They never asked him if he had an alibi. They never asked if he had a red Cardinals hat. They never asked him where he was that day.” He went on filing a case against the Detroit Police Department, asking the lawmakers to stop using the facial recognition technology.
