Dartavius Barnes, an Illinois man is suing the city of Springfield, claiming that police unlawfully took an urn with his daughter’s ashes, desecrated them by performing a drug test on them, and pronounced they tested positive for meth on April 6th, 2020.
The Springfield PD is facing a lawsuit after officers took an urn filled with an Illinois man’s daughter’s ashes and alleged that it tested positive for drugs.
Details: https://t.co/Vsx7VHUHqm
— Complex (@Complex) May 22, 2021
What Happened: Mr. Barnes filed the lawsuit against the city and officers involved in October, alleging that the officers confiscated the sealed urn containing his daughter Ta’Naja’s ashes, opened it and spilled some of the ashes while testing it for drugs. Mr. Barnes was pulled over last year for speeding. A body camera footage shows him handcuffed in the back of the squad’s car as his own car is inspected. When asked by the officers if he has anything in his car before they search, he says he has some weed, and nearly 80g of marijuana, almost three times the legal possession limit in Illinois, was found in the car. Officers then showed Mr. Barnes the urn and claimed it has tested positive for meth or ecstasy. “No, no, no, bro that’s my daughter,” he responded. “Give me that, bro. That’s my daughter. Please give me my daughter, bro. Put her in my hand, bro. Y’all are disrespectful, bro.” However, the officers maintain that the substance in the urn tested positive for meth.
The Response: The actions of the Springfield police have generally outraged the public.
watching what that cop did to that poor man in Illinois & the ashes of his daughter has made me angry beyond means, I can’t get over it
— Bri (@Briannamarie543) May 23, 2021
Terrorist cops claim the ashes of a man's 2-year-old daughter tested positive for drugs.
There is no level too low that cops won't stoop for an arrest.
They will desecrate your dead family to get away with arresting you over NOTHING.
Cops are traitors.https://t.co/O6RB44Gy57— Core_Divide (@Core_Divide) May 23, 2021
Hearing abt how Illinois officers treated the ashes of the daughter of a black man as drugs during a traffic stop really makes me hate cops now
— KiKi Dont Luv U (@Da_Tru_Queen) May 24, 2021