The viral video of a Black woman being pummeled by a police officer has set social media ablaze with anger, outrage, and calls for immediate justice.
According toCBS News, 39-year-old Erika McGriff was parked at an intersection in front of IDEA charter school in Jacksonville, Fla.,’s Riverview neighborhood. McGriff was picking up her 9-year-old daughter in the rain and said she asked the school’s principal about the proper protocol when picking up children in the weather.
“I asked the principal what was the proper procedure when picking up the walkers whenever it was raining,” McGriff later said in a press conference on Tuesday. “He explained to me the procedures. I then went to pick up my daughter.”
A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office deputy approached McGriff purportedly because her license had been previously revoked. As she was walking away, a verbal confrontation ensued that turned violent.
Warning: this video may be disturbing
This could have easily just been a ticket citation, and everyone goes on with their day, yet officers often have no desire to de-escalate a situation. Laying hands on people should be an absolute last resort and primarily used when dealing with dangerous criminals. Ubiquitous civil rights attorney Ben Crump seems to agree…
“The type of force used on Erika McGriff, the chokeholds, the hair grabbing, being punched with closed fists in the face, having a knee put on her neck, should be reserved for armed and dangerous criminals who are a threat to the public and our safety,” Crump said as reported by CBS affiliate WJAX. “But not for mothers who are doing their part to go pick up their daughter from school so she won’t get rained on.”
According to First Coast News, JSO Sheriff T.K. Waters pushed back against the idea that his beloved boy in blue abused his powers and brutalized a Black woman.
“It’s shocking to me that you square up to fight a police officer…maybe then you’re gonna get a citation and go to jail because it’s a third-degree felony,” said Waters.
Blue will always back blue. At this time, no lawsuit has been filed, but it will be no surprise if one is.
