Dramatic Video Shows Man Refusing to Lie Down For Police, Despite Guns Pointed at Him

By Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Oct. 27, 2014

La Quinta, CA – A powerful video was submitted to the Free Thought Project which shows a dramatic interaction between a man and La Quinta police.

Alejandro Natividad, a resident of Indio pulled out his phone and caught his incredible non-violent resistance on video Sunday as police were pointing guns at him.

Natividad, had committed no crime, yet when police chose to interact with him, guns were drawn and he was told to get face down on the concrete.

Natividad non-violently refused to lay down because he knew he was right, and knew that he committed no crime. But this decision did not go over well with police.

Another officer showed up and drew his pistol as well and pointed it at Natividad. At this point Natividad is incredibly nervous but continues to film and holds his ground, refusing to lay down for doing nothing wrong.

The resultant video is inspiring to say the least.

Sure, many will say he should have just laid down and complied with the officers demands to subject himself to humiliation by laying on the ground for doing nothing wrong. But his reasons for not complying were principled and courageous.

The Free Thought Project contacted Natividad this morning for an interview. He tells us that the reason him and the police crossed paths was that he was a passenger in a vehicle whose driver started acting weird.
"We were on our way to my friends house and we were at a stop light. When the light turned green my friend began to make some weird motions and really freaking me out. I told him the light was green and he had a deer in a headlights look. A deputy walked up and asked what was going on I told him he was acting weird I don’t know. He asked if we had any weapons and I said ‘no.’

At this time my friend was still doing some weird motions and finally answered the deputies question if he was okay. I had mentioned that we’re in the middle of the street and he came to and stepped on the gas and drove onto the corner. I jump out of the car and walked out with my hands up and was standing where the recording took place. Deputy drives up comes out of his vehicle with his gun drawn. That’s when I decided to record."
At this point is when this dramatic video begins. During the interchange Natividad says to the La Quinta officer,
"This is America. This is not a police state."

"This is one man talking to another. There is a man behind that badge, be like a man. That is a coward pointing a gun at me," exclaims Natividad.
Understandably, Natividad gets very worked up and is eventually brought to tears during this intense scene.

When we asked him why he refused Natividad answered in a statement reminiscent of Emiliano Zapata’s famous quote which is, "I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees."

Nattividad tells the Free Thought Project,
"I wasn’t under arrest the deputy even admits that I did nothing yet had a gun pointed at me. Where’s the logic in that? I was afraid and if I was going to get harmed I’d much rather take it standing than on my face."
Natividad tells us that eventually two more officers approached him and threatened to taser and beat him with a baton and he was cuffed and put into the back of a cruiser. But he never went face down.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested for DUI of marijuana and released the next day.

Natividad, after standing his ground and asserting his rights, was then free to go.

There is flexing your rights and there is what Natividad did, which goes way further. To lay life and limb on the line to make a principled stand takes true fortitude, and for that, we commend Alejandro Natividad.

Below is the dramatic exchange.














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