During a traffic stop, the police smashed Marvin Taylor’s window. Who is he?
Marvin Taylor hates confrontations. As a 22-year-old black man growing up in Rochester, he has witnessed many cases in which confrontations with the police escalated into violence.
He never thought he would ever find himself in such a situation.
Whether it was getting off the bus as a child and seeing a police officer violently throw a man to the ground or watching videos of police brutality go viral online, Taylor said he has always been aware of the potential dangers black Americans can face when interacting with police.
Taylor is a dog breeder who travels around the country to various dog shows. He describes himself as laid-back and avoids conflict. He has no experience with the court system and has never attended a court hearing for anyone else, he said.
He faced a judge for the first time after a routine traffic stop by Rochester police escalated last month. Before his release, Taylor’s mugshot and fingerprints were taken, forcing him to confront his new reality.
“Now I’m really in the system,” he said.
More: “Driving as a Black Man”: Traffic stop in Marvin Taylor does not surprise activists in Rochester
Why did the police in Rochester stop a certain Marvin Taylor?
In a press release, the RPD stated that Taylor was driving with an expired inspection and then forgot to signal when turning onto Remington Street and Dale Street. According to police reports and Google Maps, Taylor “did not immediately stop” when he was pulled over, even though his car traveled less than 500 feet after making the turn. Taylor was not charged with fleeing police.
- Bodycam footage from the May 7 incident shows two RPD officers approaching Taylor’s car. One officer had drawn his weapon.
- The bodycam footage shows Taylor asked why he was stopped and why an officer had drawn his weapon, but police did not respond. Officers told Taylor to roll down his rear window, but when Taylor continued to ask why he was stopped and did not roll down the windowsAn officer smashed his window and dragged him out of the car.
- However, the footage also shows a police officer questioning Taylor about drug possession. No illegal drugs were found with him or in his car and he was not charged with any drug offenses.
- The police released Taylor with a Charged with obstruction of state administrationtwo tickets for expired inspection and failure to use the turn signal, as well as an alleged shoulder sprain when police pulled him out of the car.
RPD said the incident is currently under review, but now Taylor must pick up the pieces and figure out how he can use his experiences to help and improve his community, he said.
At the time of the incident, however, Taylor was primarily concerned about how his shoulder injury might affect the physical and financial care of his pregnant American Bully, Roxy, he said.
Growing up in Rochester: Group 14621
Taylor was on his way home after dropping off his girlfriend Chynna Jackson at work when he was stopped on Dale Street. He was only there because his house was one street away on a one-way street. He said he had lived in the same house in Rochester’s Group 14621 neighborhood his entire life and took it over when his mother moved.
In an interview last week, Taylor said he could not sugarcoat his description of the situation, saying it was a very challenging neighborhood with a lot of drug and poverty history.
Census data from 2022 show that 35 percent of people in neighborhood 14621 live below the poverty line, more than double the rate in Rochester and New York.
Regardless of the inequalities or conflicts in the neighborhood, it has always been his home and he loves his community, he said. “There are people in bad neighborhoods who are good and people in good neighborhoods who are bad,” Taylor said. “People in this neighborhood stick together and look out for each other.”
Taylor, the youngest of three boys, grew up playing football and basketball and graduated from Edison Career and Technology High School in 2019. When he was about 16, he got his first dog and immediately fell in love.
Since then, his interest in dogs has grown and he is thinking about becoming a veterinarian.
Marvo’s Army: Business Venture
Around 2022, Taylor said, he started his breeding company, Marvo’s Army. He has three adult dogs: an American Bully, a Shit Tzu named Wulf, and a French Bulldog named Montana.
Montana is “the face” of the brand, said Taylor’s best friend Treshaun Moore.
“He’s so sweet,” Moore said.
“And he’s the best behaved,” added Taylor’s friend Jackson.
Breeding takes its toll on the dogs and more than three litters could be harmful, Taylor said. He said he is looking for other ways to make money in the dog business to remain ethical and protect his dogs.
“I try to sell merchandise or dog items. There are other ways to make money in the dog business than just breeding dogs,” Taylor said. “And that’s a big focus that I think breeders should understand.”
Dog shows and events are both a source of income for Taylor and a way to meet other people in the dog community. The dogs love these events, too. “All you have to do is tell the dogs they’re up there and they know it’s showtime,” Jackson said. “My dogs allow me to travel and meet new people all over the world, and I appreciate that,” Taylor said.
He hopes to bring his dogs to one of the next shows in August.
Continuing after a traffic stop by the police
Taylor’s shoulder injury during the traffic stop left him wearing a sling and unable to work for several weeks, he said. He remembers having to take his pregnant dog to the vet and back with only one arm. It was tough, he said, but his family and friends stepped in to care for all the dogs.
“It messed up a lot, you know,” said Jackson, Taylor’s girlfriend. “He couldn’t work for two weeks, so it was stressful trying to scrape together money for a C-section and for bills.”
Roxy finally had her puppies and recently had another litter of French bulldog puppies. In total, Marvo’s army got nine new little members.
Since the May 7 traffic stop, Taylor said many people in the community have come together to support him. He is working with Mike Johnson, a community activist with the group Save Rochester. Taylor said he hopes his situation can be a shining example for others and show them they are not alone.
Moore, Taylor’s longtime friend, said he has a lot of respect for his friend speaking openly about it and sharing his experiences. “One thing is for sure: This happens to a lot of people – and a lot of people don’t have the courage to talk about it,” he said.
— Madison Scott is a journalist at the Democrat and Chronicle who edited and reported on our Weld Street Project. She is interested in how the system helps, or doesn’t help, families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at [email protected].
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