
Note: This post is based on a a reader submission shared with Nevada Cop Block by Maurice Neblett. If you have videos, stories, upcoming events/protests, or personal interactions with the police (and/or “justice” system) that you would like to share, send them to us and we will do everything we can to bring it to the attention of the world.
In addition, you can visit the Nevada Cop Block resources section for information and links to the rights of citizens when dealing with police, during which you should always be filming.
(Several quotes used below were taken from a previous article on this incident by Amelia Heymann, a contributing writer at the Commonwealth Times, which is the student newspaper for Virginia Union University.)
During a February 2014 police raid, Maurice Neblett, who was naked at the time, was pulled out of bed, beaten by as many as a dozen policemen, and then falsely arrested. He was punched, kicked, and further battered with flashlights, rifle butts, and other objects in a beating that went on for at least five minutes.
Eventually, he was placed in a choke-hold and then handcuffed. While handcuffed, one of the officers involved began verbally taunting him. That officer, Richmond Police Officer Mark Sims, reportedly whispered in his ear, “Who has the most power, us or the Bloods?” and “We should have done this to your brother, but it does not matter because he will be gone for a very long time. You will too.”
Neblett’s address at the time was 531 W. Bacon St. in Richmond, Va. The address on their warrant was “Building Two, Apartment 2120 at 610 W. Bacon St.” Not only were police at the wrong address, the address listed on their warrant doesn’t actually exist. Even if it had been a legitimate address the corresponding number would be a block away.
Further complicating the story is the fact that the two officers who obtained the warrant claimed they had conducted a 30 day investigation after they “smelled marijuana in the area.” No drugs, or anything else illegal, were found during the raid. Nor was any evidence of illegal activity by Neblett or anyone at his address ever found. The only charges filed against him, two felonies for “assaulting an officer,” were later dropped.
No connection to the Bloods, the street gang referenced by Sims while they were beating Neblett, has ever been established. Neblett has also continuously maintained that he had offered no resistance to justify the force used against him. Neblett claims the officers discussed who would among them would like to volunteer to “be an assaultee.”
Being released from jail and having the charges eventually dropped wasn’t the end of the disruption that the Richmond Police Department’s actions that night caused for Neblett, though. Because he was initially charged with a federal crime, Neblett was evicted from his apartment. He ended up homeless as a result, living out of his car for several months.
In addition, he states that he suffers daily from anxiety, post-traumatic stress, loss of sleep and “a profound and insurmountable loss of trust in the state, the city and their law enforcement officials.” Neblett is a criminal justice major at Virginia Union University and obviously this raid and its aftermath greatly affected his studies.
“I’m still in disbelief,” Neblett says. “I’m trying to figure out if I’m in a nightmare.”
However, Neblett isn’t just focusing on what happened to him and his own problems as a result he has filed a lawsuit against the Richmond Police Department and hopes the lawsuit can not only find justice for him but also can lead to changes in policy within the department that would prevent raids such as this from happening in the future.
“I’m here, I’m breathing, a lot of people that have been in similar situations aren’t here today,” Neblett says.”This is bigger than me, I’m just a grain of salt.”
Also, regardless of whether or how the fact he is a black man may have influenced the actions of the police who raided his house, Neblett maintains that this should be viewed as an issue which is bigger than just a potential race-based incident:
“This is not a color bearing issue,” Neblett says. “It is important we support this because it could happen to anyone. We have to address again that no one is above the law and they have to be held accountable for their actions”
As noted above, Maurice Neblett has filed a lawsuit against the Richmond Police. Obviously, regardless of the eventual outcome lawsuits and everything that goes into filing them can be very expensive. That’s one of the reasons the police and governments choose the targets that they do. If you can’t afford to fight them in court, then they often get away with even the most egregious abuses.
Neblett has asked us to share a link to a page he set up to help offset the costs of lawyers and other expenses involved in pursuing justice in this case. If you are able to, you can donate by clicking this link to his GoFundMe account. Even if you can’t help financially, you can help him by sharing that link to others.
Related Content on NVCopBlock.org:
- Utah Police Used SWAT Teams/No Knock Warrants Significantly More Often For Drug Crimes Than for Known Violent Criminals
- Trevon Cole Killed by LVMPD’s Bryant Yant During Drug Raid
- CopBlock Founder Ademo Freeman Preparing to Challenge Drug War in Court Jan. 11th During Marijuana Arrest Trial
- The LVMPD Gang Task Force is Corrupt and it Extends All the Way to the Top
- Peoria Settles Case Where Mayor Had Police Raid House Over Parody Twitter Account
- Just Released – 1994 Surveillance Report Targeting Snoop Dogg
- Retired Baltimore Cop Tweets About Abuses He Witnessed
- Police Violence and Gentrification in Las Vegas
- Boise Officers Flash-bang Wrong Apartment
- Mount Vernon Ohio Detective Arrested for Drug Dealing and Extortion
- How Police “Heroes” Create Hatred And Disdain Within The Communities They “Serve”
- Nevada Medical Marijuana Patient Freed by Jury Nullification
- Cleveland Cop Who Previously Shot Unarmed Man, Allowed To Attend Rehab Instead Of Jail After Drug Arrest
- Ohio Bar Raided by Police W/O Warrant on St. Patrick’s Day
- After TX Botched No Knock Raid Friend is Held on Capital Murder Charge
- Civil Asset Seizure Restrictions Now in Effect in Montana and New Mexico
- NYPD Civil Asset Forfeiture Thefts Have Spurred Federal Class Action Lawsuit
- Henderson NV Police Allowed K9 to Bite One Year Old After Detaining Wrong Man
- Niagara Falls Police Conduct Vendetta of Harassment And Theft Against Cancer Victim’s Family
- Open Letter from Army Veteran to the Buffalo PD: Why Did You Murder My Dog?
- Putting Revenue Generation Above Public Safety at Las Vegas’ “Money Hungry” Municipal Courts
- “What Happened in Vegas” Documentary; LVMPD Racial Profiling, False Arrest Case Featured on Las Vegas’ Local ABC Station
- To Terrify and Occupy: How the Excessive Militarization of the Police Is Turning Cops Into Counterinsurgents
- Why Did a West Valley City, Utah Police Employee Murder Danielle Willard?
- LVMPD Budget Cuts: Finally, Minorities and Poor People Benefit from the Recession
- Submit Your Own Story of Police Abuse/Corruption
- Help Wanted! How You Can Become Involved With NVCopBlock
- #FTP – How and Why You Should Always Film The Police
- Press Passes for Independent Media and Freelance Journalists
- How to File a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) Request
- “Let Me See Your I.D.” Stop and Identify Statutes – Know Your Rights
- Know Your Rights Seminar Video by Las Vegas Attorney Stephen Stubbs
- Beware of Gang Activity in Your Neighborhood!
- In Nevada, the Most Distinctive Cause of Death is the Police
- Don’t Call the Pigs: An Informal Guide to Alternative Policing Within an Anarchist Justice System
- “What Happened in Vegas” Didn’t Stay in Las Vegas; Police Brutality Documentary Premiers at Cinequest
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: The LVMPD’s Killer Reputation
- A Video Compilation of Las Vegas Area Police Brutality
- Donate to the Cause – Help Us Help You Fight The Power

Kelly is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, who’s been very active in local grassroots activism, as well as on a national level during his extensive travels. He’s also the founder/main contributor of Nevada Cop Block, served as editor/contributor at CopBlock.org and designed the Official Cop Block Press Passes.
____________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Kelly at these social networks; Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.