With a list of demands, including body worn cameras for Bartow police officers, many of the pastors with Florida’s 400 African Methodist Episcopal churches assembled at Fort Blount Park in Bartow on July 3 to condemn an extended traffic stop of a fellow pastor, Dontavius Sanders.
Sanders, considered one of Bartow’s leading pastors and a community leader, was profiled, harassed, threatened and had his vehicle forcefully searched for narcotics by Bartow police officers, according to a news release announcing the event.
The traffic stop was initiated for a broken tag light (or license plate light) on June 29 as Sanders was driving home. There were no narcotics found, no arrests and no citations issued despite the officer calling for a K9 to search the car. Nor does Sanders have any previous drug arrests or outstanding warrants…