Black man handcuffed by police for 'illegally eating a sandwich' on train platform

An African American man has been arrested and given a citation after police in San Francisco deemed him to be breaking the law for 'eating a sandwich' on a train platform.

In an incident that appears to have taken place earlier this month, a man named Bill Gluckman was apprehended by police for appearing to do nothing more than eat a sandwich.

Gluckman posted a video on his Facebook where he is seen arguing with two police officers who explain to him that he is being detained for eating the snack.

In the clip the officer tells him:

I’ve just explained to you that you’re detained.

However, Gluckman argues that they have deliberated focused on him. Pointing at others getting onto the train he says:

You singled me out, out of all these people.

The officer then tells him that he is "breaking the law" by eating the sandwich on the platform, which as NBC reports is a law on the city's BART network but is far from the worst crime or misdemeanour that has been committed on the system.

In the video, the officer can be seen holding Gluckman's rucksack before he is placed in handcuffs and led away from the platform. The officer then calls for backup, asks for Gluckman's ID and warns him that he could end up in jail if he resists arrest.

Gluckman's replies that there are no visible signs that warn people against eating at the station, adding:

I have no reason to give you my name. I’ve done nothing wrong.

NBC reports that Gluckman eventually identified himself and was released and handed a citation.

A statement from BART declares that Gluckman was told he was violating state law and was uncooperative when told to stop but added that the footage is being reviewed by an Independent Police Auditor.

This occurred at around 8am on 11/4 and the man was issued a citation. He was not arrested.

He was cited for eating which is a violation of state law. It isn’t just a policy or ordinance, it is penal code.

No matter how you feel about eating on BART, the officer saw someone eating and asked him to stop, when he didn't, he was given a citation.

The individual was not cooperative and was refusing to provide his name which is needed for a citation and is why the engagement lasted as long as it did.

We have sent the video to the Independent Police Auditor who has confirmed he is reviewing.

In response to the videos, which have now been viewed more than 2 million times on Facebook, commuters have begun to stage their own 'eat-in' protests on BART trains and platforms to protest against the aforementioned incident.

HT Unilad

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