A Black Alabama pastor is fighting back after being arrested and charged with obstructing government operations because he was watering his neighbor’s flowers.

According to the Associated Press, on Sept. 9, Pastor Michael Jennings filed a federal lawsuit against three officers and the central Alabama town of Childersburg. He accuses the officers of violating his constitutional rights and causing emotional distress and anxiety. Jennings is requesting a jury trial and seeking “an unspecified amount of money,” the AP reports.

In a Sept. 12 opinion piece for USA Today, Jennings wrote, “Racial profiling by those who have taken an oath to serve and protect us all is a constant reminder to Black people in this country. It doesn’t matter what you have accomplished in life as a minority. To law enforcement, you are de facto the prime suspect. You fit the description solely because of your race.”

Last month, Michael Jennings’ May 22 arrest was released. In the 20-minute-long footage obtained by NBC, a Childersburg officer is seen approaching Jennings while he’s standing on the side of a home watering plants. An officer asks Jennings what he is doing, and Jennings responds, “watering flowers.” He later informs the officer that he does not live at the home and his neighbors asked him to water the plants while they were away. The officer tells Jennings that police received a call about a suspicious person at the home, to which he asks, “Who’s saying that?”

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Back and forth ensued and Jennings, 56, declined to provide identification, saying he did nothing wrong and that he was former law enforcement. Ultimately, Jennings was placed in handcuffs for not providing identification. Allegedly, a white neighbor began the ordeal when she called the police to report a suspicious person, but when she realized it was Jennings outside the home, she apologized to him. Nonetheless, Jenning was still arrested and charged with obstructing government operations. On June 1, the charges were dismissed with prejudice.

In reaction to the lawsuit, Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP, said, “These poor judgment decisions reflect poorly on the type of training the Childersburg police officers receive … if they were acting in accordance within police guidelines.”

Childersburg Mayor Ken Wesson and the Childersburg Police Department have not responded to a request for comment, according to CNN.