Black Man Who Spent 8 Years in Jail on False Conviction Attacked By White Cops During Traffic Stop
According to a report by Atlanta Black Star on Sunday, June 30, 2024, a 31 year old Black man from San Diego, Nicholas Hoskins, has faced more than his share of legal battles and systemic injustices.
After spending eight years in prison on a false conviction, Hoskins thought his release in February 2023 would mark a new beginning.
Instead, his freedom has been marred by repeated and seemingly targeted police stops, resulting in a horrifying incident in May where officers shattered his car window and arrested him.
Hoskins journey through the criminal justice system began when he was a teenager. “I was a stupid teenager trying to look cool and attract girls,” Hoskins explained in an interview with NBC San Diego.
Posting photos on Facebook of himself throwing gang signs and sharing rap lyrics glorifying violence, Hoskins found these actions used against him in court.
The jury convicted him of conspiracy to commit murder based on these posts, sentencing him to 25 years to life in prison.
He spent eight years incarcerated before the California Supreme Court overturned his conviction, citing a lack of direct evidence.
“Absent proof of intent to play some role in achieving the conspiracy’s unlawful goals, neither being a cheerleader nor passively accepting the benefits of others unlawful activities constitutes participation in a conspiracy,” the Supreme Court decision stated.
The court found no evidence linking Hoskins to any murders or proving that his posts were meant to facilitate such crimes.
Since his release, Hoskins has struggled to rebuild his life, facing multiple traffic stops for minor infractions.
and later released with a citation. His car was impounded, and he had to pay a thousand dollars to retrieve it and repair the broken window.
Meanwhile, his son waited at the bus stop for two hours, unaware of his father’s whereabouts because the police had confiscated Hoskins’ phone.
The incident is emblematic of broader systemic issues. Studies and investigations over the years have consistently shown that Black drivers are disproportionately targeted for minor traffic infractions.
An investigation by NBC San Diego into 666,406 traffic stops from 2019 to 2023 revealed that Black people comprised 22.5 percent of all stops, despite making up only 6 percent of the city’s population.
Furthermore, 30 percent of stops involving Black individuals resulted in car searches, compared to 23 percent for Hispanics and 19 percent for white people.
Notably, contraband was found in 25 percent of searches across all racial groups.
For Hoskins, the repeated stops and the latest violent encounter have been dehumanizing. “It’s kind of demeaning. Emasculating. Sometimes I feel like I’m not a man,” he confided to NBC San Diego.
