Like Christmas time for the totalitarians.
Colorado dad Matt Mooney was arrested and handcuffed in front of his 6-year-old daughter last weekend after police told him he violated the state’s social distancing guidelines by playing ball with his wife and daughter at the park.
Mooney said he refused to give his identification to police officers because he wasn’t doing anything wrong.
“She's like, ‘Daddy, I don't want you to get arrested.' At this point I'm thinking, 'There's no way they're going to arrest me, this is insane.' I'm telling her, ‘Don't worry, Daddy's not going to get arrested. I've done nothing wrong. Don't worry about it,’ and then they arrest me."
Former Brighton City Councilman Kirby Wallin recorded much of the incident on his cellphone, where you can hear his voice narrate the scene.
“He’s being taken by the Brighton police for playing softball with his daughter in an empty park," Wallin said.
In an interview with the Problem Solvers, Wallin said, “I find it hard to believe with all the things going on in our communities, the only way to resolve a situation like this was to handcuff a father in front of his daughter.”
The sign at Donelson Park said “Closed” but in smaller print reads, “in groups of no more than 4 persons, parks remain open for walking, hiking, biking, running and similar activities.”
Mooney was just there with his wife and daughter. He said it was the officers who were violating social distancing guidelines.
The story went viral with several mainstream media outlets picking up which generated even more anger.
In response, the Brighton Police Department put out a statement saying it was "deeply sorry” and that “it is evident there was an overreach by our police officers.”
Mooney says he's hired an attorney and is considering legal action against the city.