However the dog was on a leash, as was required, in a pet-friendly park as indicated by signage. When the dads insisted on taking a blood-test at the police station to prove that they were not drunk, their requests were denied.
The website Farmitracke reports Du Plissis’ little girl was badly traumatised by the experience after witnessing her dad being arrested and verbally abused. “The metro cops couldn’t care less about the fact that the child was left behind alone. People who knew the family took the child home but the metro cops didn’t take any trouble to find out whether Du Plessis’ child was safe.”
Du Plessis was at his ten-year-old daughter’s birthdayparty at the Zita Park ‘a pet friendly park’ according to the city council, when a local security guard, a female, told him he was not allowed to have a puppy in the park – even though the signs clearly said that he could.
The two men were dragged in handcuffs into a police van at around 15h30 in front of their children and kept imprisoned at the garsfontein police station until 11h30 pm. Du Plessis’ suffered torn ligaments in one arm because of the rough handling by the cops.
The local magistrate’s court dismissed the case and the men were not charged. A day after the incident paper strips were pasted across the city signpost at the park to cover up the words saying that dogs were allowed in the park as long as they were on a leash.
The video of the incident contains strong language – by the police. Any idiot can see they were inspired by racist motives.