Video shows handling of local father at middle school

Historic City News obtained a video tape created by a St Augustine man who says it is vital to the preservation of liberty for us to know our rights, to assert our rights, and to document the actions of public officials. His opinion? If deputies in paramilitary uniforms aren’t doing anything wrong, they should have no objection to being photographed or videotaped.

Jeffrey Marcus Gray of St Augustine created a video on Friday, February 13th after he says it was brought to his attention that a warrantless search of students was being conducted that morning at Pacetti Bay Middle School. The 45-year-old Gray reported that he stopped by to get some pictures and ask some questions about the use of the K-9 officers.

Pacetti Bay Middle School is located in St. Augustine Florida and is part of the St Johns County School District which is consistently recognized as one of the best school districts in Florida. The school is the home of the Wild Cats — and warrant-less searches of students; conducted by the St Johns County Sheriff’s Department with drug-sniffing police dogs.

The drug dog searches were brought to my attention when I overheard students talking about the searches and how they were forced to line up with their backs along a wall as they exited their buses.

Gray says the students were forced to put their book bags at their feet and hold their arms up as the dog was brought along to sniff every student and their belongings.

“I have sitting next to me a student from Pacetti Bay Middle School who has personally endured the K9 searches,” Gray said in the video interview. “They explained to me how the searches were conducted.”

My goal is to teach citizens that our rights do still exist, and to show how to assert those rights. Stay cool, be polite, flex your rights, and always film the police.

According to Gray, he is not an attorney. He advises people to seek legal advice from a licensed attorney.

“I do not support comments that libel the persons appearing in my videos. I do not support racists’ comments or comments that call for acts of violence,” Gray wrote. “However I support free speech and I do not censor speech.

The best way to show the effectiveness of knowing and asserting ones rights is in real life situations, with actual encounters with LEO’s.