Graffiti artists says he was roughed up by Houston police

(1/29/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- A graffiti artist in Houston claims he was roughed up by Houston police and says he has the video to prove it.

As a result of the video, Perez says the Harris County DA's office has dismissed criminal charges pending against him. And now the man who was a suspect says he's a victim of police who he says used excessive force and falsely arrested him.

Wanting to capture his workshop for posterity, Phillip Perez set up his home video camera one day last November not knowing it would capture police arresting him. Perez says officers asked him to show them a vendor's permit, but before he could explain that he wasn't selling anything, he says two officers forced him into a police car.

"He didn't have to push me. He didn't have to rip my shirt off my back. He didn't have to grab my arm like that," said Perez. "That's ridiculous. I was like, 'Are you serious? You treat me like I was just beating somebody up.'"

Perez was arrested for resisting arrest. He served two days in the Harris County Jail.

"This case is about freedom of speech," said Randall Kallinen, who is representing Perez. "People are able to say what they want in public."

Perez's attorney says his client is a well-known graffiti artist in Houston, that he's performed at the Wortham Art Center and that his art, legally and with permission, adorns many buildings around the city. Perez even volunteers with the Houston mayor's office and HPD's anti-gang task force, teaching kids not to spray paint illegally.

But all that good, Perez says, is tarnished by this arrest for an alleged crime that wasn't even prosecuted.

"I'm looking for justice," said Perez. "I want something to happen to let these officers know they can't go around pushing around people just because they're wearing a shield."

The festival where Perez was painting was held on private property with the permission of the Montrose business owner there. Neither the Houston Police Department nor the officers' union have commented on this case because they say they have not yet seen this federal lawsuit.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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