Jennings was arrested in May after the neighbor who did not recognize him called police, thinking Jennings was a suspicious person at the home of another neighbor, who was out of town, CNN previously reported.
At a news conference Saturday, Jennings said he felt dehumanized and humiliated during the arrest, and that his wife and a neighbor pleaded with police to release him.
“What they did that day, they did it with impunity, they thought no action would be taken against them. I felt dehumanized, I felt small,” Jennings said. “I felt helpless and it hurt.”
He added that despite his verbal identification to responding officers, police did not believe him. Jennings said he had no identification and told police he wasn’t going to retrieve it and give it to officers.
Jennings was taken into custody and booked into the Talladega County Jail, where he was released after posting $500 bail, according to the lawsuit.
Jennings’ charges were dismissed with prejudice on June 1, according to the lawsuit.
Jennings’ attorneys said Saturday that based on their interpretation of Alabama law, Jennings had permission to be on private property and therefore was not required to identify himself to officers.
“Not here for revenge”
Attorney Harry Daniels said he hopes the interaction, captured in a video that has since gone viral, alerts law enforcement agencies across the nation that “it doesn’t happen that way,” and went on to praise the pastor’s calm and collected nature during the during and after conception.
Another attorney for Jennings, Bethany Embry Jones, said police should be more familiar with the laws, adding that the incident should never have happened.
Alabama NAACP President Bernard Simelton urged people in situations similar to Jennings’ to document what’s going on.
Jennings said Saturday that the Childersburg mayor has not yet contacted him about his arrest.
“I’m here today so there’s some accountability,” Jennings said. “Not here for revenge, I’m here for accountability and for justice.”
According to Daniels, the suit seeks injunctive relief as well as a jury trial.
CNN reached out to Childersburg Mayor Ken Wesson and the Childersburg Police Department Saturday for comment, but did not hear back.
