FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Following the widespread circulation of a video accusing officers of kicking a man out of Arab Fest without cause this past weekend, the Fort Wayne Police Department explained its protocol for such situations.
A video shared on X, which garnered hundreds of thousands of views within 24 hours, shows a Fort Wayne police officer telling the man recording that event organizers wanted him to leave. A longer version of the video shows another officer as the first to intervene, asking the man why he was recording. The officer explained the man’s behavior had made people uncomfortable. The conversation went on for nearly a full minute ahead of the viral cut of the video, which instead makes it appear as though nothing happened before the second officer asked the man to leave.
Although Headwaters Park is a public space, people or organizations that rent areas have final say as to who can be in that rented space. In this instance, Arab Fest had the right to consider the man a trespasser when he refused to leave. The video went viral Tuesday and questions were raised as to officer conduct; the FWPD issued a response Wednesday morning…