Video: Eugene Grant, Developmentally Disabled Black Musician, Tackled by Police in New Orleans

Eugene Grant, 27, was playing with his band on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans, Louisiana on Monday night, when the owners of Frenchmen Art & Books called the police on the musicians for allegedly blocking the store.

A Facebook Live video has now gone viral, showing Grant on the ground, held by an NOPD officer as a crowd stands by. The person taking the video records two people standing in the open doorway of the bookstore and blaming the store for calling in authorities.

Grant was shoved and tackled to the ground after officers say that he refused requests from the officers and other bystanders to calm down, hit an officer in the chest and continued to resist arrest.

Grant’s mother says he has developmental delays and is on the autism spectrum.

Prosecutors have agreed to drop the charges and Grant was back out playing music on Bourbon Street by Tuesday afternoon, his mother told local news outlets.

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Frenchmen Art & Books has been attacked on Yelp and had a one-star rating on the platform. However, Yelp appears to have disabled the page and rating system because of “media reports.” There have been social media calls to organize a musical protest.

“Who opens a bookstore on a street famous for being the epicenter of music in New Orleans? Then calls the cops on the brass bands that have been playing there for YEARS,” Yelp user Ole O. wrote.

The New Orleans Police Department also faced criticism earlier this year when they shut down a brass band performance near Jazz Fest in Gentilly.

Twitter users have been actively defending Grant.

“Beyond pissed at @NOPDNews for arresting musician Eugene Grant after a call from a colonizing business owner. He was just making a couple honest bucks playing music on Frenchmen Street and they tackled him to the ground and locked him up. This has to stop. #BlackLivesMatter,” one user wrote.


“I’m sharing this again. All these cops to arrest Eugene Grant! Eugene has special needs, he’s maybe 5’5” and weighs 90 pounds soaking wet! NOPDs finest!”

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