Oakland native, would-be dotcom entrepreneur and aging former rap star MC Hammer (né Stanley Burrell) was arrested in Dublin, California last Thursday night after a police officer approached his car and asked if he was on parole or probation. Hammer, being too legit to quit, the occasional Internet activist followed up the arrest with a Twitter rant about racial profiling on Saturday afternoon.
Officially, Hammer was arrested in the parking lot of the Hacienda Crossings shopping center on suspicion of obstructing and resisting an officer. According to a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's department, Hammer had been driving a vehicle with expired tags that was not registered to him.
"Hammer became very argumentative when questioned about the vehicle," Lt. Herb Walters told the L.A. Times, "He refused to exit the vehicle when the officer asked him to and continued to argue." He was booked into Santa Rita Jail and posted bail shortly after. Details from the police report are thin, so Hammer filled in the details from his perspective:
chubby elvis looking dude was tapping on my car window, I rolled down the window and he said'"Are you on parole or probation?"
— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) February 23, 2013
While I was handing him my ID he reached in my car and tried to pull me out the car but forgot he was on a steady donut diet. ..
— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) February 23, 2013
It was comical to me until he pulled out his guns, blew his whistle and yelled for help (MallCop) !!!But make no mistake he's dangerous ..
— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) February 23, 2013
only thing more dangerous than a scared man with a gun, is a scared man with an agenda, a gun and a badge. I was citied for obstruction smh
— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) February 23, 2013
You have to know me to understand I was laughing when he was grunting and pulling on me .. I had just left the weight room ..
— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) February 23, 2013
I will now answer his question, contrary to his personal beliefs, all people of color are not on parole or probation fat boy !!!
— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) February 23, 2013
Hammer, being a devout Christian, didn't hurt 'em though. Instead, he used the incident as teachable moment:
Instead of being bitter, I'm taking the opportunity to make this a "teachable moment" and "eye opener" for my many friends & colleagues.
— MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) February 23, 2013
The morning after his arrest, Hammer visited San Quentin State Prison for one of his regular trips to speak to inmates in the Last Mile program, which helps released prisoners join the real world with paid internships in Silicon Valley.
[InsideBayArea]
[LATimes]
