with his friend while he looks for employment in Ithaca for the summer. At about 9 p.m., he orders Chinese food from Apollo Chinese Restaurant. The friend he was living with warns Lawrence that the restaurant’s drivers often attempted to force students to tip drivers. Lawrence, wearing basketball shorts, a tank top and walking barefoot, answers the door to retrieve his food from the delivery man. He opens the door, and the delivery man holds up the receipt for Lawrence to sign, which he quickly does. While Lawrence reaches for his food, the delivery man quickly points to the receipt and says, “Tip, tip, tip.” Lawrence then tells the delivery driver he’s not going to tip him and that tips are optional. The delivery driver insists that Lawrence tip him, holding the food out of Lawrence’s reach. The delivery man continues to argue with Lawrence about the tip, so Lawrence’s friend comes to the door as well. At that point, Lawrence snatches the food from the driver. Lawrence’s friend also starts arguing with the driver, saying that the
“I just want to tell these guys this is actually what’s happening. The reason this guy is here is because I did not tip him. ... I was going to tell them actually what’s happening. Frankly, at the beginning, I thought it was kind of funny.”
—Lawrence*
restaurant often harasses students for tips. Lawrence leaves his entryway to place the Chinese food on his kitchen table. Lawrence’s friend and the delivery man continue to argue outside. The friend and the driver are near the driver’s car when, Lawrence said, the driver claimed his friend struck the delivery car with his hand multiple times. Paul, the driver, told The Ithacan Lawrence and his friend got aggressive. “I worried that those guys attack me,” Paul said. Paul said he feared for his life. Lawrence denies his friend ever hit the car. The driver then proceeds to call 911. As the delivery man calls 911, Lawrence’s friend tells him he is going inside and that Lawrence should come with him. Lawrence decides to stay outside and wait for the officers. “I just want to tell these guys this is actually what’s happening,” Lawrence said. “The reason why this guy is here right now is not because of my friend. The reason this guy is here is because I did not tip him. … I was going to tell them actually what’s happening.” “Frankly, at the beginning, I thought it was kind of funny.” Two of the college’s Public Safety officers, Steve Rounds and Eric Willman, who has since taken another job, arrive on the scene
shortly after the call is made, which Lawrence estimates was at about 11 p.m. Lawrence is standing on the sidewalk, with his hands in his pockets, a couple of yards to the right of the staircase that leads up to the apartment, Circle 211-01, where he was staying. The delivery man is standing near his car, parked just a few yards away. As they arrive, Rounds begins heading toward the apartment as Willman heads toward the delivery man. Rounds walks past Lawrence, ignoring him, and begins climbing the small set of stairs up to the apartment when Lawrence calls out to him. Lawrence estimates he was about 2.5 yards away from the officer when he first called out to him. “Officer, officer, can I speak to you for a second?” Rounds is past the stairs, a couple of yards from the door, when he turns around and walks purposefully down the hill to the left of the stairs. He makes his way to the sidewalk where Lawrence is standing. He’s about a yard away from Lawrence when he barks an order. “Take your hands out of your pocket.” Lawrence said he was scared, and began to pull them out of his pocket, revealing his thumbs to the officer, but then he questioned the decision. “Why, why should I do that?” Lawrence responds. Rounds, standing still, yells at Lawrence again. “Take your hands out of your pocket.” Lawrence said he was worried about pulling his hands out of his pocket, worried he would end up like other black men who have put their hands up and been shot by police officers who claim they see a gun. His posture becomes timid. Rounds gives Lawrence the order again. “Take your hands out of your pocket.” Lawrence questions the officer again, and Rounds responds with force. Rounds grabs Lawrence’s left hand and pulls it out of his pocket, twisting it behind his back. Rounds reaches for Lawrence’s other pocket and simultaneously turns Lawrence so he is facing the grassy hill leading up toward the Circles apartment. Lawrence calls out in pain. “I was screaming, ‘Ah! Ah! My wrist, my wrist.’” Lawrence is then tackled at full force by Willman, whose shoulder and chest crash into his back, and both officers topple him to the ground. They both shuffle with Lawrence’s arms and put him in handcuffs. He said he was in no way resisting. Lawrence is then sat on the curb by one of the officers as the other goes to speak to the delivery driver. At this point, Lawrence’s friend comes out and begins recording the interaction between Lawrence and the officer. Below is a transcript of their interactions. Lawrence: I should stay down? Rounds: Yes. L: Take, take a video. I haven’t done anything. R: I asked you to take your hands out of your pockets, and you didn’t. L: I asked you why you asked me to take my hands out of
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