A street artist who was arrested by Leon Valley Police says the apologies he was given are not enough.
Lakey Hinson, 36, uses the same kind of chalk to draw on the sidewalk that children would use playing hopscotch. It washes off easily.
"I think it's just really healthy to have people being creative in public places,” he explained.
On June 15, Hinson decided to draw some of his art on a sidewalk in Leon Valley just before it was about to rain. But then Leon Valley police officers arrived.
"Less than a minute after him saying the first word, he had started putting me in cuffs."
Hinson said he wasn't doing anything wrong. The officer said he was violating a graffiti law.
"He took me to the jail and everything and put me in a cell. And his superior told him there was no charge, and even arresting me was grounds for a lawsuit. And then he called the DA, and the DA told them the same thing, and they released me out into the rain,” he said.
Leon Valley police did not respond to TPR’s request for comment.
Hinson complained to the city and was able to obtain the body cam footage from his arrest.
Hinson said it's not the first time he has been arrested. He’s been arrested in different cities three times in the past. In each case, he was not charged with a crime. He's performed his street art in several cities, including San Antonio, Austin, Longview, Chicago and Milwaukee.
"The particular art that I do most commonly out there is drawing a bunch of freehand circles. Some people call the pattern 'flower of life' — the way circles sort of overlap over each other. And then a lot of times I put some kind of quote with like my favorite one,” he said. “Since I'm working with a bunch of circles overlapping its ‘circles bring a community to blossom.’ ”
Despite apologies from the city, the police chief and a Leon Valley City councilman, Hinson said he wants to take legal action against the city, but then added that he can't afford an attorney.
