Church Stages Fight To Set Up Officer

When the only tool in your belt is a hammer then the rest of the world's problems are nails. That's the only way I know how to explain the actions of James Harrington when he invited a white officer to his church to speak. Then had the members staged a fight in order to gauge the officer's reaction.

Imagine the headlines if the races were reversed.

Sgt. Matthew Grimes was asked to give a presentation to a church audience on July 24 at Municipal Gardens, in the 1800 block of Lafayette Road.

During the presentation, an altercation broke out in the crowd, and Grimes intervened. The officer was thrown to the ground and drew his Taser, ready to stun one of the people involved, police said.

At that point, someone stepped in and told the officer that the incident had been concocted to test the reaction of the officer to the situation, police said. Grimes suffered severe back spasms after the incident and was taken to Methodist Hospital for treatment.

James Harrington, pastor of the Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, said he set up the scenario to test a white officer's reaction to a fight between two black men. [Emphasis mine]

Any other person would be arrested for putting an officer in the hospital.