BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - A confrontation over loud music at a local car wash ended with a man claiming he was harassed because of his skin color and a criminal trespass warning from police.
Gregory Payton, who is black, says he was at a car wash on Finfeather Road in Bryan Wednesday when two white people claiming to be part of the business approached him in an aggressive manner and demanded that he lower the volume of the music coming from his car.
The video he shared online begins with the unidentified man shouting at Payton, “When we say something, y’all do it.” Payton yells in return, “get away from me. Back, back.”
After Payton turns down the music this exchange goes on as the woman in the video, who claimed to be the car wash manager, calls Bryan police. Officers arrived moments later, issued Payton a criminal trespass warning and was told he could not return to the property.
“It could have been extreme and blow up and be out of proportion and I don’t want that to happen,” said Payton on Thursday, explaining why he decided to record the incident. His video on Facebook has been shared by hundreds of people and hundreds have left comments. Payton feels his race played a factor in the hostility he says was displayed by the man and woman. “We can’t even wash our own cars now y’all,” Payton posted on Facebook.
The video has sparked anger from many in Bryan’s black community, with many feeling the two overreacted to the situation by calling police officers to the scene. Payton says he broke no laws, so he was left confused and scared about the whole situation.
“I want to see my family and friends again. It’s tough being a black man. You have to filter everything you say. You have to watch what you say or do because you never know what could happen,” said Payton. “Without my cell phone it would have been ‘he-said-she-said’ and it’s pretty much two against one.”
Among the hundreds of responses to the video online, a comment from Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson drew immediate backlash after he wrote, “I understand the customer’s aggravation at how they talked so rudely to him and I would feel the same, but let’s be honest, he decided to yell non-stop back at them in righteous indignation and keep things escalating.”
“I didn’t see anyone acting in a loving Christian manner even though I sympathize with the customer who didn’t go there to pick a fight and must be feeling raw with recent events,” said Nelson.
Bryan police are seen in the video arriving at the car wash and successfully defusing the situation. At the request of the car wash associates, police issued Payton a criminal trespass warning. A spokeswoman for the Bryan Police Department tells KBTX officers have no choice but to issue one when it is requested by a business owner or manager.
“Anytime they ask us to issue a criminal trespass warning to someone, we have to do it. We can’t sit there and determine why they want to give it to them,” said spokeswoman Officer Kelly McKethan.
The warning is just that - a warning. It’s not a citation or a criminal charge, said police. Payton does have the option to pursue a civil case if he believes the reason for the warning was due to race. Police are also seen in the video checking Payton’s ID and running his license plate information, but that’s a routine step police take on most calls for service.
Copyright 2020 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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Video of car wash confrontation in Bryan sparks anger, mixed emotions - KBTX
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