Welcome to another episode of Civic Cipher. I'm your host. Ramsey's job is ramses joh I am Q ward.
I say, got my voice back. I was starting to like the quiet storm.
Rams, you know, but I'm back to being Q now and you guys are tuned in to Civic Cipher.
Yeah, we need that man que back in the land of the Living sounding good. And uh that's a good thing because we got a whole lot to bring you this week. Of course, crazy stories all across the news, not the least of which is Ralph Yarrel and the emotional roller coaster that that's been. For those that don't know, please stay tuned because we will educate you on all
the goings on with that story. And if we're honest, that story got us to thinking about the amount of anti black violence that we have to deal with in this country and what it's like to live in the aftermath of that. A lot of times we talk about stories that are very final in that it often results in death. So today we're going to talk about what it's like to live in the aftermath of anti black
violence for those that do survive. And we have a story from our own backyard we're joined in the studio by Marshawn Neely, So welcome to suitio.
Brother. Yes, thank thank you, thank you all. I'm honored to beat me here.
Absolutely absolutely. So he's gotten a crazy story to tell us, and the story does have a happy ending, and that you're still here with us and you're actually fighting back, so we can't wait to peel back the layers of that. You're in the middle of a lawsuit as well, right, yes, okay, okay, So definitely a lot to stick around for there. We're also going to be talking about for the way Black
history fact the origins or the Black origins in hockey. Uh. And you know that's something that I didn't know about and I'm really excited to share that with you because I thought that black people didn't start playing hockey until shut the eighties maybe, but actually goes a lot deeper than that. So stay tuned for that and so much more. But first and foremost, it's time for some Ebony excellence, so q, I think this one is for you.
You know, I was thinking about the Abney Excellence for this week to say, I got a little bit emotional when I read about the subject of our Abney excellence would be putting it lightly. But this week's Abney Excellence is brought to you by ramses afro. Okay, if you've never seen this thing, it is glorious. There's the reason why a lot of us smile. It's like sunshine. But I talk to you guys a little bit about a little bit more about that later. The story comes from
CBS Sports Build. Safety Tomar Hamblin announces his plan to return to the NFL after what a lot of us saw as a very, very scary on field collapse and what can only be described as a remarkable recovery. Tomorrow has been fully clear to return to football activities. Man who I had to take a deep breath reading that, because I saw this incident live when it had.
Quote.
I'm thankful and blessed, Hamler said at a press conference Tuesday, end quote, blessed to have wonderful trainers here who treat me with love and care as if I was one of their own children. This event was life changing, but it's not the end of my story. I'm here to announce that I plan on making a comeback to the NFL. The diagnosis of what happened to me was basically commodio cordis.
It's a direct blow out, a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrests and five seconds later you fall out. That's what everyone has seen back on January second of this year, all of us that's seen that, I can say that we were terrified in the moment. He's been clear for football activities. I'm hoping this brother makes a recovery and that he does not find himself in any life threatening positions as a result of that.
Prayers up for DeMar Hamler. I think that's ebony excellence we've ever seen. That's resilience, right, talk to me about it. I love that, all right. So living in the aftermath of anti black violence, as I mentioned, our guest today is Marshaun Neely, and you know, let's let's not keep folks waiting. Why don't you tell us the story of what happened to you. Your most recent encounter with the police only just started off as a normal day. Then
they just went all down heel from there. You and my girlfriend we got into a simple argument that day. She wanted me to leave.
I was getting ready to leave anyway, just to d defuse the situation. And I think her mother had suggested to her to call the police. That that that that that way, not nothing happens, you know, any fighting or anything. But like like I I want to let you guys know, why don't condone domestic violence or you know, women hitting men or men hitting women. It was just you know, a simple argument that happened that day and the police were called to my house. And when the police arrived,
they actually already opened my door to my house. It was unlocked and I didn't know, so in the video you could see me coming around the corner the door is the jard I instantly closed the door. I let them know they were okay because they actually came later. It took them a while to come. So by that time we already diffused a situation. We talked, talked, talked it out. She wanted them to leave, and I shut the door. The next thing you know, they bust down
my door. And when they bust down the door, in the video, you you could see me like ball up because I thought that they were just gonna grab my hand and turn me around and just you know, detain me. Asked me what happened, because at this point in time, whenever the police are called, you're still innocent into proving guilty. So you know, I didn't feel like any crimes was committed. I never hit anyone. I never touched anyone, so I
thought they were going to talk to me. You know, normally if someone is called, they just asked one of the parties to leave into things die die down. Instead, I think by me being black, they just wanted to take it there. So they didn't like the fact that I shut the door to my own house. My lawyer, Kwacy Smith, he's a retired police officer, and he basically told me like that was a bad idea to shut
the door because they're still going to investigate. So they broke the door down, and from there, the first police officer, instead of grabbing my arm and putting it behind my back, because that's normally how you get arrested, they take your arms and put them in handcuffs, instead of him doing that, he actually took my head and like slammed it into the wall. He slammed it into the wall. I wind up losing four teeth automatically. I got two of them fixed.
That was almost like three thousand dollars, and then I still got to get the other two two fixed. I'm working on that now. But he slammed my head into the wall. I lost four or four teeth. They take me to the ground. Now, when they take me to the ground, it's three officers on me, and one officer has his arm across my nose and face, so I can't breathe at that time.
This is still in the in the doorway of your house.
Yeah. Yeah, I had the video footage and I released that. So at this time I'm letting the police know. Like in the video that they released on the news, they actually muted every word out that I said, like when they took me to the grounding them. No, I'm not resisting, h I'm not resisting. I can't breathe because at that time he's like basically holding my nose in my mouth because he got his arm across me and we got
like three officers what they need need needs in my back. So, man, you ad at this time, when they take me to the ground, they break four of my teeth. So I'm not trying to escalate the situation anymore. I feel my teeth like falling out my mouth. I'm like, hey, my hands are behind my back. So the next thing they do, an officer reaches and grabs my hand, and that's when he snaps my finger, and half he like he broke my bone to my finger, and he broke my knuckle.
So and this is what I'm seeing right here on your finger.
Yeah, So when you break a bone, a bone can be fixed, but my knuckle cannot be fixed. I had needles in my hand, so like half of my knuckle is sitting right here. The other half is sitting right here. This finger, I can't bend at all, is permanently gonna be like this for the rest of my life. I can't use this finger. I can't write all day long a massage in it. So when he reached down to put put on me your handcuffs, they break my four teeth. They slam me into the wall, They slam my head,
they break for a teeth. Now and grabbing my hand, the officer snaps my finger. I feel it. I yell now the way they hit me on the ground, I'm laying like at an angle, so half of my body is sticking out my laundry room. My legs are inside the laundry room.
Your lund room is by the front door.
Is by the front door, so half of my legs are are inside the laundry room door, and that's when they bring the K nine in. I'm not running, I'm not resisting. And at this point, the K nine handler he yells at the police officer, give me a give me a leg, give me a leg, and the police officer, instead of him helping the other two finished putting me in hand handcuffs so they can get off of my back and stop me because I'm almost finna pass out.
I'm like, it's like, I'm finna die. Like I really felt what George Floyd felt that day when they put these in his back. I just thought I was gonna die because I can't breathe. So instead of him helping the police, the officer gets off of my back and he's really holding down my legs real quick, real quick.
I want to paint a picture for folks that are listening to the story. So how tall are you?
How much you have I'm like one forty, I'm probably like five five.
I'm a little guy.
Okay, all right, keep going okay, and these officers are huge, huge, just what I want to huge, caep telling me. So once he gets off of my leg. I have to straighten my body up because I'm at an angle for my legs automatically like straighten out and they go down. And that's when the officer releases the dog on my leg and the dog actually bit my leg for almost a minute. They couldn't get them all. He bit my
leg for a minute. And then that's when I'm like telling them like get the dog, scream and get it at the dog. And at the time, it is you know, I got kids in the house, man. So my kids still asks me to this day, like are any is anybody gonna come in the house and hurt dad? Or what's going on with dad? Like my kids still remember me screaming, you know the stuff that went on. How long ago was this?
Did this happened?
This happened in November?
Okay, okay, yeah, so and you've been dealing with this ever since. I'm sure every since. Okay, So keep going.
So after they yanked me up off the floor, I can't walk, so they're basically like dragging me out the house. So they cut the video. They edited the video where they take my what words out when.
I'm telling them, first off person, how long did it take for you to get that video from which which police department was this? Good Year Police, good Year Police and Arizona, Arizona. Okay, how long did it take for you to get the video?
Took them almost four months they released, Yeah, almost four months.
And then they released an edited version of the video, an edited version, okay.
Where literally my words are muted. You don't hear me say I can't breathe. You don't hear me say I'm not resisting. You don't hear me say any of that.
Okay, I see in the video, so I know.
So they edited that that that out, And what they edited too is like they didn't show like how my neighbors were concerned. They were outside praying for me and stuff like that. So once they bring me out the house, they like, sit me on a curb, and I'm just leaking blood everywhere, leaking blood. Can I see?
Can I see what you're where? The dog baby? Oh yeah, of course, of course, just so I could see it is this is where they stitched it up.
The dog bad me here And the main part was that kept me from walking for months is when he bit the back of my calf muscle.
I'm laying down, get a little closer, So explain that again in the bare Yeah.
So when he bit the back of my calf, mo mama. So they weren't able to stish this up or do anything to it. It just had to heal naturally, and that took months and it still hurts to this day. I have trouble walking. I could be here. He can walk, I can stand up straight. It's just it's horrible.
So let me ask you, this was the duck. Did the duck bite and then shake?
Yeah, shaking lock He locked to my leg. Now, man, you I never I didn't been in a fight before, but I never had a broken bone. I never had anyone knock forward my t teeth out, and I never had a dog maull my leg off. So you know, I didn't know about surgeries at this time. I went through several surg surgeries. But when the ambulance finally came, they took me to the hospital. You know, Ofuficer was joking with me like, all you you never played rugby before.
People get their teeth knocked out every day, like it was a normal thing for me to be missing four teeth, for my finger to be broken. So they take me to the first hospital. And at the first hospital, when you're in police custody, they don't let you use telephones to contact your family members to let them know what's going on, because they feel like by me being charged with a misdemeanor, I could break out of jail and have somebody come to the hospital.
The free minute. You said this was a misdmeanor.
Yeah, all this is a misdemeanor charge. Okay.
And did these officers fear for their life? Did they did? They? Did they were they did they get the sense that you were trying to run or escape or anything like.
In a nine one one call it was actually stated that I had no weapons and I did not hit anyone. So I don't know why they took it that far.
Okay, all right, keep going. So you can't call anyone from the hospital.
So when I get to the hospital, it's a big ordeal about the cops because the police they have to sit with you inside the hospital. So it's a big ordeal about Hey, we're switching shifts. Now one is ready to go home, so they'll talk and tell me about surgery now, so I'm scared. They're like, oh, we got to stick you with needles. We got to put you to sleep. I'm gonna have to O O open you up. I'm like, let me call some of my family members
and they let them know what's going on. So they refused me a phone call at the hospital and they just say, like, I never signed the paper, so you got to sign a paper saying that you refuse service. I never signed the paper, so they instantly just yanked me out the hospital bed, drag me back to the car. Then they take me to jail. So now I'm at the jail. The jail was completely wrong from even accepting
me into jail because the CEOs let them be. You know, you can't accept no one into jail with broken bones and it's leaking blood, so they went against protocol. They let me go to the Copa County County jail with a broken finger, broken teeth, my leg leaking. So they basically just throw me in the cell for about ten
hours and I'm ringing the bell constantly. But I don't want to put too much blame on the Marra Copa County Jail because I feel like I shouldn't even been there to begin with, Like I feel like I should have just been left at the hospital to. I needed the proper care so I could digest what's going on, Like I'm still thinking it's a movie, Like I can't believe, like what was happening. So they they take me to the cell. They leave me in the cell for almost
ten hours. I probably got the jail at like nine in the morning. I didn't make it to the hospital till midnight that night. So I'm in the cell just all day, leaking blood, pressing the bill, Hey, I need help. I need some type of antibiotics. I don't want to catch infection anything like that. I don't know if this dog has rabies anything like that. So they leave me in the cell all day, twelve sixteen hours. Finally, a black CEO that works for the jail, I don't remember
his name. He just tells me, like, man, that's messed up. They weren't supposed to take you into jail. They weren't supposed to leave us with this job to bring you to go get care like it was just they really felt bad for me. So that's why I don't want to put the blame on them too much, because they did show their sympathy, like, man, that's messed up. They shouldn't have brought you here. They should have took four responsibility. So now I'm in Valley Wise Hospital, that's the county
jail for Phoenix. I'm in there in the middle of the night. You got it. Now, you think when I get get to the hospital again, it's one o'clock in the morning, there's nobody there to perform surgery. So they basically just wrap me up and sit me in the hallway to the morning. Now, it was probably like five six in the morning. That's when all the doctors get to work. Now they perform a surgery later that afternoon, they performed the surgery. I wake up. I got needles
sticking out my hand. Brother, yes, I got needles sticking out my hand. I got stitches in my leg. I'm wrapped up, and Lily are.
Still missing at this time.
I'm missing too. Still right now, I got two of them fixed.
No, I mean while you're in the hospital.
Oh yeah, I'm missing teeth yeah no, no, no, dentist. And that's another other thing. My teeth became infected because once you get a chip tooth, oh oh up, until you gotta have a rope rope rope canal, and they got to pull pull out the nerve, so my teeth became infected. So now I'm not a surgery. It's probably like a day later. The sergeant for the the jail hospital, he comes to the room and they just get to snatching stuff out of my arm. Hey, what's going on?
He say, you gotta go? I say, what do you mean? I gotta leave? I'm still in pain, Like I still I'm trying to make sure everything is okay. You know, I just could. They literally kicked me out, probably twenty four hours after I heard my surgery, So they kicked me out the hospital. They're like, you're not gonna stay stay here, So they kicked me out. They take me back to jail. Now I'm not in a regular population where I could get assistance or anything like that. I'm
in a I'm in this the worst experience ever. I'm in a cell for twenty four hours a day by myself. Like I don't got a phone, I don't got a TV, I don't got a tablet, I don't got anything. I'm just in a cell by myself. Because it's affirm and reseale, so they don't want you to get hurt by another inmate, so they'll keep you in the sell bye bye by yourself. So I was on the lockdown for twenty four hours for almost two weeks until they came with a plea deal for me to get out of jail.
And this was a misdemeanor, You said, yeah, I missed themeaning. And what was the charge?
They charged me with a lot of stuff like resistant RUSS dis order conduct from the charges yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but they basically dropped all the charges and just charged me with a I think it was a domestic violence or interfering with court procedures. And then they just said, hey, take this please, we'll let you out of jail. You know, I got to serve a new jail time or anything like that.
Okay, so now you're actually pushing back, right, So you said you got a lawyer and you're taking legal action because this was a gross abusive power by the Goodyear Police Department. Yes, so, so tell us a little bit about that the lawsuit. Yeah, you don't have to tell anything that your lawyer wouldn't want you to say. Yeah, let the people notice has a happy end.
When I got out of jail, I basically called a few lawyers. It was I'm not going to say, it was kind of hard to get the case started, but you know a lot of people probably didn't want to take the case on for free. Well, I found Kraacy Smith. He was actually an African Americ American lawyer. He decided to take the k case on for free. By him being an ex police officer, he knows like how far
this should go and when it's enough is enough. So he took the kkkse on and after that we we found and no notice to claim to let them know there will be suing them. But I just wanted to let you guys know, it's not about the money, It's about the accountability. Like I literally had situations where people came to me after this said hey, I should have stepped up and did the same thing, but I was
scared about the outcome. Like I had people that had similar scenarios happened that never went this far as suing the police or making them take account on ability for what they're did. Let me what they did.
How have you been? I mean I've seen physically you know you're doing better than you were, I'm sure, but how have you been mentally since this is anna happen?
Horrible, horrible horrible, like I think the police is gonna kick my door in. I don't feel safe in my own home. I'm scared of dogs now, like every you know Arizona, everybody has dogs, So I can't go to the I actually have a little dog. Oh, I see, I go to that.
You asked when you came in the studio, is there a dog here? Yeah?
So I'm actually scared of dogs right right right now, because it's just crazy.
Well, that's a lot to process. You want to jump in or.
Typically human typically I do want to jump in today.
However, it's not typical because I'm usually just flatly enraged by stories like this, except this time I'm sitting here listening to a first hand account from a brother who it's quite frankly, far more calm than I could possibly be if I was retelling this experience. The idea that our skin is criminal.
It's hard to imagine it happened to someone else.
No, no, no, no, and that I want I don't want to be colorful with my language. It's not hard to imagine that because we have no such stories we talked about, but we have none like you have to understand that the climate of our country right now, there are people who spend their entire days looking to debunk the myth of racism, looking to debunk the idea that police target us unfairly because we're black.
Trust me, if there were any such stories, they'd be all over the place all the time.
Right The poor young man who you know we're raising money for, who we're talking about later on today, is already people counter producing stories to counter his story. Well, something happened to this white girl, and you guys didn't raise that much money for her. It's like, even in stories where we are by far the victim, they don't want there to be a happy ending.
They don't want us to feel any relief, you know.
And it's a sad it's a sad thing that our country has now sunk to a place where we are so divisive in our politics that we are now divisive in our humanity.
You know, there's something about this story too, before we move on, that is kind of redundant in commonplace, because we've seen this a lot. In fact, we talked about a story Jeffrey Ryan's in Salt Lake City who was kneeling, had his hands up and the police sick the dogs on him. And when I was trying to find out his name, so many of those attack dog stories came up. In fact, you sent over video from the inside edition and the title was our police dogs being ordered to
bite suspects unnecessarily. So we appreciate your story, and obviously this is something we'll keep tabs on moving forward.