Photo: Dakarai Larriett
Dakarai Larriett’s life has been defined by a journey from his roots in 1980s Birmingham to a powerful fight against injustice.
After a seemingly routine traffic stop in Michigan turned into a wrongful arrest, he uncovered what he believes to be a deeply personal and homophobic act of police misconduct. Now, turning a moment of indignity into a political mission, he is running for the U.S. Senate in Alabama to protect others from the very experience that profoundly changed his life.
In an email to THE FIGHT Larriett shares his life story:
I had the good fortune of being raised by a loving family in 1980’s and 90’s Birmingham, Alabama and attending progressive schools where I had no problem being accepted by my peers.
But I also sensed from a young age that I was different – and not just because of my black skin.
As Jehovah’s Witnesses, my parents weren’t happy when I came out of the closet at age 21. My dad, in fact, believed I would die from AIDS. But eventually my parents accepted me for who I was. (The last thing my dad said before he passed 10 years ago was that Will and Grace was his favorite show).
My sexual orientation also played a role in an incident that has profoundly influenced the last 15 months of my life. Last April, I spent a night in a Michigan jail on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.
There was one problem: I hadn’t been under the influence of any drugs, or alcohol. I passed all 7 field sobriety tests state troopers put me through that night and tested negative on every drug and alcohol test I took after the troopers brought me to the hospital.
In fact, I hadn’t violated any laws, which is why I was never given a ticket for a moving violation (despite being told by the troopers who pulled me over that I failed to fully stop at two red lights).
Among the insults one of the state troopers hurled at me was one that hinted at my sexuality: He said I smelled “fruity.” (After my release the next day, I uncovered this trove of homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic and racist posts on his X page).
Upon my release from jail, I promptly submitted multiple FOIA requests for the dash cam and body cam footage of my arrest, which I subsequently shared with the media. (Two YoungTurks TV segments that aired the footage have been viewed nearly 600,000 times on YouTube); I filed formal complaints with the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights; discussed my arrest with the Michigan Attorney General, a Michigan State Senator, a State Rep, and a U.S. House member; and spoke with staffers from Governor Whitmer’s office on three separate occasions. (The Governor’s staffers refused to intervene, explaining that it was a legal matter beyond their jurisdiction).
The anger from my wrongful arrest drove me, 6 months later, to sue the Michigan State Police for $10 million. (A district court judge dismissed the suit without prejudice this March, a decision I appealed two weeks later; a circuit court trial will be scheduled pending court-ordered briefs).
I’m still not satisfied.
In April, I officially filed paperwork to run for Tommy Tubberville’s U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, where I currently live and was born and raised. Since February, I’ve raised over $55,000, contributed another $85,000 of my own money, and hired four campaign staffers, including veteran Democratic fundraiser Grant Hallmark and former Doug Jones staffer English McBride.
I’m not running for Senate as a vanity project. I want to protect Alabamians and Americans from the injustice and indignity I suffered last year by fighting for a Motorist Bill of Rights that provides more civil rights protections for drivers accused of crimes like DUI; I want to make it easier for drivers pulled over by the police to obtain dash cam and bodycam footage and other police records; and I want to change qualified immunity laws that give police officers carte blanche to mistreat innocent people.
For more info visit: https://dakarailarriett.com/
