Kim T. Cole, J.D.

2770 Main Street

Suite 186
Frisco, TX 75033
kcole@kcolelaw.com
214-702-2551 (Phone)
972-947-3834 (Fax)
KCOLELAW.com

OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING COUNCILMAN LA’SHADION SHEMWELL

May 10, 2018

On Tuesday May 8, 2018, McKinney City Councilman La’Shadion Shemwell was stopped, cited, and arrested by
McKinney Police. Although the officer alleged he was speeding, Mr. Shemwell firmly believes that both the initial
stop and his subsequent arrest were racially motivated.

Over the past few years, Councilman Shemwell has become a very vocal and staunch advocate for police reform.
Shemwell was particularly disturbed by actions of officers during the infamous 2015 McKinney Pool Party where
McKinney Police targeted, detained, harassed and assaulted children of color. From that point on, Mr. Shemwell
heeded the call for change in his community and decided to run for City Council. His community backed him and
he won. Shemwell is only the 2nd African American ever to be elected to McKinney City Council.

Mr. Shemwell, like many other African American men in this country, has felt the pain of race-based policing on
numerous occasions, including several incidents at the hands of McKinney Police.

 2013 – Pulled over by McKinney Police for something as trivial as “low tire tread”
 2013 – Pulled over by McKinney Police because the officer “thought” vehicle registration had expired
 2016 – Only person arrested at Donald Trump rally
 2016 – Unlawfully arrested in Arlington for exercising his 1st and 2nd Constitutional rights.
(He was subsequently acquitted during jury trial).
 2017 – Pulled over by McKinney Police and warned that he would never be elected

Now, in 2018, Councilman Shemwell is faced with this arrest. Another reference to his election. Another
pretextual stop by a white officer. Given the black body count that continues to rise from routine traffic stops, Mr.
Shemwell was quite frustrated. Often, when a young black male is stopped by law enforcement, there is a thought
of “Will I survive?” As the video indicates, Councilman Shemwell was upset. He was upset with being racially
profiled by the McKinney Police, yet again. He was simply attempting to run a brief errand, and ended up being
detained by McKinney Police, for no lawful reason. While Mr. Shemwell admits that he could have had a better
disposition, he maintains that the stop and the arrest were racially motivated.

Additionally, McKinney General Orders mandate that the Chief of Police be immediately notified of “incidents
involving prominent or politically sensitive persons who, by their position, are of interest to the public including
elected officials, prominent citizens.” To our knowledge, this did not occur.

McKinney is no stranger to race-based policing. Yet, they have flatly refused to address the issue. Even in the
wake of the highly publicized pool party incident, the city of McKinney has failed to address the concerns of its
minority citizens.

K. Cole Law, PLLC has repeated requested to meet with policy makers for a strategic planning session to address
citizen concerns regarding policing in McKinney. However, despite our numerous pleas, McKinney has declined
to meet. They simply are not willing to discuss any efforts to improve the relationship between law enforcement
and the communities they serve.

However, with having one of their own black elected officials targeted, we sincerely hope that the city of McKinney
will reconsider. Race-based policing is a serious matter which must and should be addressed. Especially if the
lives of McKinney’s minorities matter at all to its lawmakers.

Please direct any further inquiries regarding this matter to Kim T. Cole at kcole@kcolelaw.com or 214-702-2551.