Things took an unusual turn at the end of a high school football game that led to a band director being tased, arrested and hauled off the field. His heinous crime? “He disregarded police requests to stop his band’s performance.” They were almost done anyway. Police in Birmingham, Alabama, call what he did disorderly conduct, harassment and resisting arrest.
The band kept playing
A Birmingham Police Department spokesperson did their best to explain the heavy handed arrest of a band director on the field at the end of a High School football game. He didn’t unquestionably bow down to their authority when issued an unreasonable directive.
Such defiance required tasing him into submission and hauling him away to a cell. When an Alabama cop has to tell you twice, they’re going to do it with a shotgun.
The bizarre case of excessive Gestapo force happened on Thursday, September 14. Minor High School battled a win from PD Jackson-Olin High School on the loser’s home field. After the game ended, police officers started clearing out the stadium.
WARNING: GRAPHIC ⚠️
Alabama high school band director stunned, arrested after telling students to keep playing music, police said
The Birmingham Police Department arrested Johnny Mims from Minor High School and charged him with disorderly conduct among other charges.#Alabama… pic.twitter.com/8S52bb8OvK— Noelia Belén Izarza ???????????????? (@myteks) September 19, 2023
As the spectators trickled out the gates, officers became aware of “both schools’ bands still performing.” Such dangerous conduct could not be permitted a second longer and both band directors were ordered to stop. The home team complied, having already lost one fight on that field for the night.
Minor’s director, Johnny Mims, stood defiant. Instead of complying with the jackbooted directive, Mims illegally “instructed his band to continue performing.” That made him a domestic terrorist in their eyes. BPD officers tried to take the director into custody “for Disorderly Conduct.”
He said, yeah sure, just as soon as we’re done here in just a few more seconds. That’s “when a physical altercation ensued” and they tased Mims. The ensuing shouting match involved “Birmingham City Schools System personnel, and BPD officers.”
Get out of my face
BPD couldn’t wait to get the bodycam footage out to the public, it shows “multiple officers telling Mims to end the performance while the band director repeats ‘get out of my face,‘” adding “We’re fixing to go. This is our last song.”
The officer didn’t want to negotiate, letting them finish the song was totally out of the question. “You will go to jail,” one officer threatened. What really cheesed off the Alabama cops was when “Mims responds with a thumbs-up” acknowledging the warning. “That’s cool.”
Right about the time the field lights went out, the song ended and the band joined the tail end of the departing crowd. All except their director.
“We’re fixing to go. This is our last song"
Police in Birmingham AL tased and arrested a band director (and the bus driver) for allowing his band to finish playing their final song and not forcing his team to stop when commanded.
Johnny Mims was charged with disorderly… pic.twitter.com/DKRKaHg9lY
— ????_ Imposter_???? (@Imposter_Edits) September 19, 2023
“When Mims steps off the platform, a struggle ensues between him and the officers as they appear to try to handcuff him.” Instead of cooperating he’s heard yelling “get off of me.”
Things went from bad to worse. “He hit the officer. He gotta go to jail,” one officer is heard saying. “He swing on the officer.” That hasn’t been confirmed. At the time, Mims is then heard replying he “did not swing on the officer” as the struggle continues. That’s when the Taser comes out.
“Seconds later, an officer uses a Taser on Mims, bringing him to the ground as panicked screams are heard from the crowd around him.” Afterward, while getting their stories straight, the official version is that “the arresting officer alleges the band director pushed him during the arrest. The arresting officer then subdued the band director with a Taser which ended the physical confrontation.“
