He was labeled a “snitch” and faced online attacks from cops after he called out an officer for doing donuts.
In February, Houston, Texas experienced an unusual snowfall that covered the city in a thick layer of snow. Due to the hazardous road conditions, the local police advised residents to stay off the roads to ensure their safety. It was particularly challenging for many Texans who were not accustomed to driving on slippery surfaces. Amidst the citywide lockdown, Hamon Brown was fortunate enough to witness an interesting sight. He spotted a police officer performing donuts in a deserted parking lot using a marked cruiser.
He shared it on his Facebook page without expecting it to gather the millions of views it ultimately received.
“I didn’t expect it to go viral like it did,” he shared with KTRK. He later pointed out the double standard, emphasizing that if any other driver were caught doing donuts, they would likely be ticketed by a police officer. The Houston Police Officer’s Union promptly responded to his post.
“We are human. We like to have a good time just like they do,” said Doug Griffith, the president of the Police Union. At first, the union responded, “Cops love donuts!” But when his post started attracting more comments circling back to the double standard, the union came back with a vengeance.
The Police Union personally attacked him
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They initially made jokes about his vehicle’s condition, pointing out the presence of duct tape on his windshield. They found it ironic that he was advocating for safety while having an obstruction on his glass.
In addition, they went a step further by sharing videos in the comments section of Brown “ghost riding” out of his car and obstructing traffic. The Union even labeled him as a “snitch.”
“He took it a little serious, and then things went off the rails a little bit,” said Griffith. “You can’t do what he does in public and then go and call out others for donuts.”
Brown expressed concerns about his safety in the wake of the Union’s aggressive responses on a public forum.
“It is really messing with me because ya’ll posting all my business on social media. Ya’ll are doing a lot to me and getting me real scared,” said Brown. “I ain’t did nothing wrong. Ya’ll were in the wrong.”
Officials say the comments (and donuts) could hurt the police, too
According to Kimberly Dodson, a criminology professor at the University of Houston Clear Lake, the actions of the Union can be considered as “textbook retaliation.” She also pointed out that the video of the officers doing donuts could potentially harm the department as well.
“Citizens see that and they are less likely to take the police seriously,” she said.
Griffith stood up in defense of the officers, assuring everyone that there was no reason for concern.
“They know what they did was wrong. It has been taken care of, and for the public to worry about complaining about police officers, there is no concern there. You can complain all you want,” he said. “We don’t go out there hunting people for complaining about police officers. That is not what we do.”
He also mentioned that the officers’ donut runs did not cause any damage to the taxpayer-funded vehicles.
