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PUBLIC SAFETY Ashland Plaza police arrest video goes viral May 19 arrest of one man by five officers draws more than 83,000 views three days after posting Comment By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 15, 2016 at 5:32 PM Updated Jul 16, 2016 at 1:59 PM By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 15, 2016 at 5:32 PM Updated Jul 16, 2016 at 1:59 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Chamber hosts review of downtown intiatives • Ordinances address misbehavior downtown • Ashland council puts more teeth into downtown rules • Council strives for strategies to address homeless issue » Social News A videotape of a man yelling, “I’m autistic, I can’t relax. My muscles are locked,” as he’s brought to the ground and handcuffed by five Ashland police on the Ashland Plaza is going viral. In the 1 minute, 45 second video, three officers surround the man who is sitting on a low wall with his arms and legs crossed. The next thing the tape shows is more officers arriving and then pulling the man off the bench and pushing him to the ground to detain him. At one point officers are on top of him to restrain him. He is yelling, “It hurts. I’m choking!” Officers are advising him to relax and stop resisting. He is heard saying, “I am not resisting. My muscles are locked.” The video, posted on the Human Rights Oregon Facebook page on Tuesday, July 12, was recorded during the arrest of a man at about 5:45 p.m. Thursday, May 19, on the Ashland Plaza. The Facebook page does not say who shot the video, or explain the 50-plus day gap between when it was shot and posted. The page was created in November 2015, and states its purpose is “working to unite and fight for human rights in Oregon.” As of Friday, July 15, the video had been viewed more than 83,000 times in the three days since it was posted, with nearly 400 comments posted and more than 1,600 shares on other’s Facebook pages. Comments run the full gamut from extremely critical of police to extremely supportive. The man detained in the video is a homeless person who goes by the name of “Redwood,” who declined to offer a last name or legal name. He is on disability and identifies as autistic. When asked about the incident he says only, “I’m OK.” Asked for more detail, he only says, “I don’t talk about it right now. I’m OK.” On the video, what sounds like the person recording the incident is heard saying, “What are they doing? He’s not doing anything.” Another member of the homeless community who says his name is Jack Hamilton reacts to the arrest by describing it as too much force. “I could see it in a bigger community or in a situation where the police have to protect their safety,” Hamilton said. “But here it doesn’t seem necessary. It really seems excessive. Nothing is going on that requires that kind of force.” Homeless activist Bonnie Cohen, who says she was nearly cited for coloring postcards in the park and was ticketed for a curfew violation when she fell asleep in her car at Lithia Park, describes Redwood as a non-violent person with disabilities who is really clear about his condition. “He tells you right away that he is autistic and doesn’t do well with stress,” Cohen said. She says she is Redwood’s friend and has observed him talking to police and explaining that stress makes it hard for him to think clearly. In the video Redwood is seen being lifted by officers from the bench and walking as several police officers are attempting to physically subdue him. He is not swinging his arms or attempting to fight. He is shouting that he is autistic and cannot get his muscles to stop tensing. Once he is on the ground several officers hold him down as handcuffs are placed on him. Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara is out of the office this week, but The Tidings placed a call to Deputy Chief Warren Hensman. He chose not to comment beyond that which the police department posted on the Facebook comments thread on Thursday morning, as well as on the department’s own Facebook page . The statement says, in part: “On 5/19 one of our officers was issuing a citation to a man on the Plaza. The man did not want to accept the citation and became increasingly uncooperative with the officer. As the contact continued the man’s behavior became increasing confrontational and hostile. This caused the officer to request a backup officer. When the backup officer arrived he noticed the man in the video was yelling and being loud. The man in the video clearly disagreed with the other man receiving a citation … the backup officer clearly noted that he was much bigger than both officers, estimating him to be 6’5” and about 300 lbs. “The larger man continued to yell at the two officers and walked toward them. One of the officers felt the man was being intimidating and told him to lower his voice and step back. He continued to yell and came at the officer. The officer thought he was going to be attacked, went for his Taser with one hand and pressed his other hand out to stop him from moving forward. When the man refused he was told he was interfering with a police officer and needed to get back. He still refused. “The officer made the decision to arrest the man for interfering, however knew it would be very difficult for two officers to arrest him without anyone getting hurt. The decision was made to request additional resources in order to take the man into custody safely. ….” The police log for May 19 shows Charles Albert Colenaty, 31, was arrested for interfering with a peace officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. The other individual mentioned in the police comments was arrested for interfering with peace officer, escape (since he walked away after being told he was under arrest) and resisting arrest. That individual, a 35-year-old male, also was issued citations for having a dog on the Plaza and for not having a license for the dog. Colenaty was previously arrested on March 31 in the 100 block of Will Dodge Way, also in the downtown area, by Ashland police on charges of resisting arrest and interfering with a peace officer. A pre-trial conference on all the charges is scheduled for Aug. 8, according to court papers. Court papers indicate that, in the first incident on March 31, police were attempting to arrest Colenaty on a warrant issued by the Ashland Municipal Court for a failure to appear at a court date. “Colenaty resisted by pulling his arms from us, locking them in front of him and refusing orders to put them behind his back,” according to the police report. “We got him to his stomach and he tried kicking at us before he was further restrained.” Court records submitted by an Ashland police officer say that, in the May 19 incident, as an officer was citing a subject for a municipal code violation, “Colenaty was sitting on the other side of the plaza and was yelling so loud … I was having a hard time concentrating on the issue and communication with my subject. … Another officer gave him further orders to get back, yet he failed to comply and remained talking and yelling angrily … when other officers arrived on the scene, Officer Stewart told Colenaty that he was under arrest. When we attempted to take him into custody, he held his arms tightly in front of him and pulled back strongly against our control. We took him to the ground and had to force his arms behind his back with him pulling against our control until we got him into handcuffs. “This action caused many people to stop and observe the activity (at least 1-2 dozen bystanders).” July 15, 7:30 p.m.: This article has been changed to reflect that Deputy Chief Warren Hensman was not present at the May 19 arrest. Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ @julieakins. Tidings editor Bert Etling contributed to this report; email him at [email protected]. By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Jul. 15, 2016 at 5:32 PM Updated Jul 16, 2016 at 1:59 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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