SPRINGFELD – Incidents involving members of the Springfield Police Department at the recent Indie Soul fest prompted a letter of apology from Mayor Domenic Sarno and Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood.

Sarno sent the letter on Aug. 30 to state Rep. Bud Williams, City Councilor Tracye Whitfield, Springfield Housing Authority Executive Director Denise Jordan, Robert Jones and “Indie Soul Organizers, performers and attendees.”

Sarno wrote in part, “Both Commissioner Clapprood and I are genuinely sorry that this wonderful event was disrupted. Any miscommunication or non-respectful interactions by our officers is of paramount concern to my administration and to Commissioner Clapprood. We would hope that we can use this as a tool and a learning moment as our intentions are always in the betterment of police/community relations.”

Jones wrote an account of the event that was supplied to Reminder Publishing: “On Saturday, August 21, 2021 at approximately 7:40 p.m., the Springfield Police Department, roughly 4 cruisers with lights blaring pulled up and blocked the entrance of the Riverfront Park and a portion of West Columbus Blvd. The officers claimed we had no right to be at the park and the park needs to be cleared.

“I responded that we rented to park for the Springfield Indie Soul Festival to which an officer responded, ‘We weren’t told that any functions were going on today,’ and in the same breath said, ‘Your permit states you only have the park until 8 p.m.!’ This statement left me utterly confused, which is it; you didn't know about the event or when the event is supposed to end!?

“It was clear the officers had no idea of the details of our permit, they made assumptions and acted as if we were trespassers on the property, despite the Amtrak officer being there and telling them we rented the grounds.

“During this interaction, a female police officer was yelling at us and the patrons at the front gate and threatening to tow everyone’s cars. The sergeant on the scene did nothing to deescalate her and let her unwarranted aggressive behavior continue. Then the female officer jumped in her cruiser and drove around yelling on the loudspeaker that people were illegally in the park and their cars were illegally parked and will be towed by the Springfield Police. When I witnessed the demeanor of the police, I told Darryl [Moss] not to come to the gate. These actions appeared contrived and intentional and I didn’t want him targeted, so Darryl remained in the park where the acts were performing and Denise Jordan and Bud Williams went to speak to the cops.

“Meanwhile, the other officers on the scene were being abrupt, rude, and intimidating to the patrons of the festival, the average age being 50-55 years old. The Springfield Indie Soul Festival started at 12 p.m. of which vendors were arriving to set up around 7 a.m., which was the time the Amtrak officer opened the gate for us. We were in the park along with city of Springfield workers: electrician and maintenance for 12-plus hours straight with no issues from the police who routinely drive up and down West and East Columbus Blvd.

“The Amtrak officer assigned to our event, Tiffany was great and closed off the entrance whenever an Amtrak train went by (which may have been at least a dozen times).

“The brute force and aggressive behavior of the Springfield Police Department was not only unwarranted and unprovoked, they also egregiously lied about not knowing about the event and then claiming to know when the event ended. Needlessly to say our elderly patrons and children were afraid for their safety with the behavior the police exhibited and the screaming on the loudspeaker. We paid for the park, had security, had an Amtrak officer on duty to ensure safety around the train track and paid to have the requisite city of Springfield employees on site. We did everything by the book and during the 13 years of having this annual event, we never had any issues with crime, misbehavior or with the Springfield Police Department until now. We had to rush our final act, The Delfonics and people started leaving early for fear of arrest or their cars being towed.

“Not only did retaliatory behavior of the Springfield Police Department hurt the overall good time the patrons were having it also damaged our reputation with the perceived appearance that we (the Springfield Indie Soul Festival committee) did something wrong.”

Reminder Publishing reached out to the Springfield Police Department to inquire is there was any disciplinary action involved in this incident. At press time, there was no response.