This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/Boise by /u/peach4everr on 2025-05-12 18:27:31+00:00.

I was out with a group celebrating birthdays on Friday night. We grabbed hot dogs from the stand on the NE corner of the intersection.

While waiting and eating, we noticed the over the top police presence… apparently it’s like that every weekend, but… 8 police vehicles with their lights on, blocking 6th Street seemed like overkill.

We witness a guy, probably early to mid twenties, jaywalk. Tbf, people are jay walking non stop all over Boise. He gets swarmed by three officers, grilling him about why he isn’t obeying the law, why did he think it was ok to just cross, etc. They were, from our vantage point, antagonizing him and the situation.

Some of us started recording at this point. While they’re grilling him, the officers grab at his phone, he pulls his phone back, and we watch in horror as they start manhandling him, cuff him and put him in the back seat of the cop car.

We kept recording.

Recorded them as they go through his phone at the trunk of the cop car.

Recorded dozens of people continuing to jaywalk right in front of this line of cops. I asked, “hey… why are you detaining that guy when ALL these people are jaywalking?”

Cop (without name on his uniform) says, “oh? Didn’t see it.”

Ha, “I recorded you missing them jaywalk right in front of you.” He laughed like it was funny.

We keep recording.

I walked into the crosswalk to get a clearer video. Keep in mind, this street is barricaded and there are 8 police vehicles with their lights on.

Cop says, “You need to get out of the street or I’ll have to cite you for jaywalking”. Of course I respond that the street is blocked off. I ask if they arrested the guy for jaywalking. He says, “no, that’s not an arrestable offense”.

Ok. So why is he handcuffed in the back of the car?!

Westendorf asks me what I witnessed. “He JAYWALKED. And there are oodles of people out here doing the same thing.”

Westendorf was certain he was protecting the public. “Well, he walked diagonally and that’s next level breaking of the law, don’t you agree?”

“No, sir. I don’t. You started busting his balls, but haven’t said a word to anyone else doing the same thing. I could see a warning, but an arrest?”

“We did warn him. He scoffed at us.”

Ok. So now we’re getting somewhere. This guy scoffed when the cops warned him. And only him, mind you… and then…

“So if you can’t arrest him for jaywalking, why is he in cuffs in the backseat?”

“He’s going to jail tonight for obstruction.”

Of what?!?!

“Of our investigation. Into his jaywalking.”

He said this with a straight face. While trying to convince us that he was justified, and warranted in being such a dutiful public servant. As more people continued to jaywalk.

There was a small crowd of people gathering to watch this go down. Some were in tears… the cops overzealous presence and demeanor was over the top.

That kid, who scoffed after jaywalking, was headed to jail… and we couldn’t do anything about it except record and observe.

I have the full video. I’m not the only one. Just checked the footage - it’s about 12:40 am on May 10, 2025.

I’d love to get the video to this guy. He deserves to be vindicated. And the Boise Police Department? Oh god, such gross misuse of power while claiming to be servants. I’m completely disgusted.

This jaywalking guy kept EIGHT police officers busy.

Oh, I should mention that this kid wasn’t white passing. When I mentioned that to the officers, that they missed all the white people jaywalking, they acted offended that I would make it about race.

Him not being white adds an interesting element to the situation, but they were wrong no matter what race the detainee was.

It’s not illegal to scoff at police officers. I stood there scoffing myself, as I recorded.

I’m hoping he didn’t actually get taken to jail that night. We couldn’t stay to keep recording, and it was hard to leave. Whoever he was with would have no idea he’d been detained and without his phone.

What we witnessed was the Boise Police Department aggravate a harmless situation then hide behind the noble cause of protecting the public from criminals.

Anybody have any suggestions on how to figure out who this kid is and get him the video? He’s got several witnesses from my group who will back him up that he was unlawfully detained, there was abuse of power, etc.