Watch: A black man was arrested for eating a sandwich. Protesters staged an ‘eat-in’
Californian Steve Foster believes he was singled out for something commuters do every day ‘because of the colour of my skin’.
Videos posted on Facebook turned into a saga of protest as a black man named Steve Foster was arrested and fined for eating a sandwich on a railway station platform in California on November 8.
As the video of his confrontation with the police went viral, social media users were quick to point out the unnecessary nature of the arrest, many saying that at most the offence (if it was one at all) amounted to a citation or a court summons.
The four officers who eventually arrived at the scene were criticised widely for the arrest, and especially for attempting to confiscate his personal belongings. Toward the end of the video, he is seen being handcuffed at the end of a harrowingly long argument.
Cop in California legit tried to arrest a black man bc he was “illegally eating.”😳
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) November 10, 2019
My mind can’t even begin to comprehend the arrogance needed to justify this nonsense
pic.twitter.com/cwlobWkRo2
The incident, which many believe to be racially motivated, generated a furore online and resulted in a unique form of protest by Californians: an “eat-in”. Even a member of the board of directors at Bay Area Rapid Transport or BART (whose policemen made the arrest) brought her lunch and ate in protest:
FOLLOW UP: On Saturday, around 30 people gathered to EAT & PROTEST Steve Foster being detained at the BART station
— Jerome Trammel (@MrJeromeTrammel) November 10, 2019
Kelly Groth passed out sandwiches & called it #BrunchOnBART. BART Board of Directors Janice Li was brought her own lunch & thinks it’s unfair.
No one was arrested! pic.twitter.com/QeLmEw3bRv
As a result of the backlash from the video and the protests, a general manager of BART issued an apology regarding the incident, stating, “I’m disappointed how the situation unfolded. I apologise to Mr Foster, our riders, employees, and the public who have had an emotional reaction to the video.” He also detailed the investigation that will be taking place into the matter.
The unfolding of this story is testimony to the power of social media, but how does the individual who faced the arrest, Steve Foster, feel? Speaking to ABC7News, Foster said he does not plan to sue, and added, “I hope they start focusing on stuff that actually matters like people shooting up dope, hopping the BART, people getting stabbed.”
