Amber Sherman, a Memphis activist known for her vigorous campaigning on police reform issues, was taken into custody on allegations of disorderly conduct and obstructing a highway or passageway. The incident occurred on Wednesday when Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers were conducting an operation on Mount Vernon Road, which led to Sherman's arrest after she purportedly advised a civilian not to open the door for the police, and continued to intervene despite police commands, as Action News 5 reports.
According to the affidavit obtained by WREG, Sherman was nearby at the scene where officers, attempting to serve a warrant, instructed her not to walk onto the property and to stay away from the road, she complied but still, she went on to confront the officers vocally advising the person inside the residence against compliance with law enforcement, these actions resulted in officers taking her into custody. Following her release without bond yesterday morning Sherman took to her Facebook airing her grievances and challenging the city's leadership, she questioned Mayor Paul Young, and MPD Chief CJ Davis querying "Paul Young, is this the type of leadership CJ Davis provides? Threatening citizens for being outside because they don’t like what we’re saying? Isn’t that my First Amendment right?"
Furthermore, as a member of the city's police reform task force, Sherman's arrest has drawn particular attention given her outspoken role in the effort to re-evaluate and rectify policing tactics in Memphis. FOX13 Memphis reveals that this task force was set up after the Department of Justice conducted a Pattern or Practice investigation into the Memphis Police Department and made recommendations for changes, recommendations that the city decided not to integrate into a consent decree.
The situation escalated quickly on Wednesday morning, drawing neighbors out of their homes as officers detained Sherman, later claiming she disrupted and interfered with their operations.
