Black Pastor Arrested For Watering White Neighbor’s Flowers Gets Green Light to Sue Police

Nationwide — Michael Jennings, an African American pastor from Childersburg, Alabama, who was arrested while watering flowers for his white neighbor, has won the right to sue Alabama police after a federal appeals court overturned a previous decision that blocked his lawsuit. Jennings had been innocently helping his out-of-town neighbor by watering their plants two years ago when a different neighbor, who said she was disturbed by seeing a Black man in the area, called the police for assistance.

According to a news segment from Good Morning America, when officers arrived, they questioned Jennings despite the clear indication that he was watering flowers, holding a wet hose in his hand. Jennings explained that he lived nearby and was a pastor, but refused to present ID, which led to his arrest. In Alabama, police do not have the legal authority to demand identification without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. Despite this, a district judge had initially dismissed Jennings’ lawsuit, citing the police’s protection under qualified immunity.

Jennings described the arrest as “dehumanizing” and took legal action, arguing that his constitutional rights had been violated. After the initial setback in court, the case was reviewed by a three-judge panel from the 11th U.S. Court of Appeals. The panel ruled unanimously that the officers lacked probable cause for the arrest, nullifying their claim of qualified immunity and allowing Jennings to move forward with his lawsuit.

According to his attorney, Harry Daniels, this ruling is a significant victory for Jennings and for justice. Daniels emphasized that the video evidence from the officers’ body cams clearly shows the events and that Jennings now has the chance to prove in court that the police acted unlawfully.