“Insecure” actor and activist Kendrick Sampson was the subject of police brutality during a recent trip to Cartagena, Colombia.
Sampson shared disturbing footage of him being accosted and assaulted by a police officer who eventually brandished his gun on Wednesday. The video was taken by someone who witnessed the event from across the street. The individual later shared it with one of Sampson’s friends, Natalia Reyes, who posted it to Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CI2L32dhJMu/
Sampson said he was stopped six times in five days as part of a police procedure where law enforcement is allowed to inquire about ID’s on the street. Sampson asserts that the practice often targets Black Colombians, very similar to the unconstitutional stop and frisk policy used in the States. An Instagram post from Dec. 6 noted his arrival in Colombia.
“Cartagena is AMAZING but this is the 6th time I was stopped in 5 days. I’m told stopping is policy but what is NOT is they reached down my underwear aggressively, slap my arms 5 times hard, punch me in my jaw and pull his gun on me. He then cuffed me and dragged me through the streets. I did not resist any legal procedure,” he wrote.
Later in his Instagram Story that Sampson shared, he was questioned by police authorities for over eight hours before he was released to his hotel. “They are also asking me to confront and identify the officer tonight! I don’t trust this s–t,” he wrote.
He said an officer also waited for him in his hotel to discuss the incident. Sampson encouraged his fans and supporters to share the video calling the incident “a violation of human rights that happens every day with no accountability.”
“My heart hurts for people here, in the U.S. and worldwide who get abused in the shadows (or in broad daylight with no accountability) and don’t have that protection,” he continued.
The “Insecure” cast is undoubtedly one of the most socially and politically engaged group on television. Prior to finding notoriety on the HBO series, Sampson was heavily engaged in activism and regularly joins demonstrations as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In May, Sampson shared his encounter of policing shooting him with rubber bullets during a rally for justice in Los Angeles.
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