When people had problems with the police, Mr. Owens wanted them to file complaints with the CPD. For instance, Mr. Owens’ friend once got into an argument with an officer who he felt was racially profiling him. It got heated, and when the conflict became physical, he was charged with assault to a police officer. When Mr. Owens’ friend came to him and told him about the incident, Mr. Owens begged him to file a complaint. If enough people took his advice, Mr. Owens said, maybe there would be less to complain about.
“I think they should do the complaints. Maybe they could wake the administration up a little bit, you know what I mean? [mimicking “the administration”]: ‘Hey, why is all these complaints coming in here like this? Is something going on? … Somebody needs to go undercover just to see what's going on.’”
— Abraham Owens, 58, carpenter