Will William McNeil Jr. finally receive justice? New calls for a Department of Justice investigation have renewed hope that he might.
Source: @904Will / Instagram
Last month, the state attorney’s office in Florida said it would take “no further action” against the deputy with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office who repeatedly punched the Black college student after breaking his car window and dragging him from his vehicle, which was captured in a viral video. On Sunday, famed civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Ben Crump, who represent McNeil, sent a request to the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into the incident to determine whether the 22-year-old’s rights were violated.
According to the Tampa Free Press, Crump and Daniels sent the request they authored to the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, asking the DOJ to determine if McNeil’s civil rights were violated under 18 U.S. Code § 242.
In a press release, Crump’s office claimed “McNeil sustained multiple injuries from the assault including lacerations to the chin and lip, a fractured tooth and a clinically diagnosed traumatic brain injury after JSO Officers struck him multiple times in the face and body and forcefully slammed his head to the pavement while he was unarmed and posed no threat,” describing the stop conducted by JSO Officer Donald Bowers that took place on Feb. 19.
“In addition to outlining the brutal assault which sparked national outcry garnering tens of millions of views across social and traditional media, the request took issue with the State Attorney’s Office who ‘expended considerable effort in their report to rationalize Officer Bower’s actions,’” the press release continued. “Specifically, the attorneys criticized the State Attorney’s report not only for overlooking the fact that Officer Bowers failed to report his initial strike to McNeil’s face and claimed he only punched McNeil outside the car because the 22-year-old was attempting to flee officers, a claim contradicted by the video, but also pointed out that the State Attorney’s Office abandoned a fundamental prosecutorial strategy by making the conscious decision not to interview McNeil.”
Yeah, making a claim that McNeil tried to flee from officers when he didn’t even leave the confines of his car until his window was broken and he was dragged out is wild. There’s literally never a reason to take a cop’s word at face value.
In February, officers claimed McNeil was stopped for driving without a seatbelt and without his headlights on. It’s worth noting that Florida law states clearly that motorists must use their headlights “from sunset to sunrise, including twilight hours,” or “during any rain, smoke, or fog.” Footage of the stop shows it was daytime when McNeil was stopped, and there are no obvious indicators of “inclement weather.” As for the claim about his seatbelt, Crump and Daniels noted in their DOJ request that the video shows his seatbelt was fastened, along with the fact that it was not raining.
(They could also have noted that JSO officers claimed in their report that before they busted McNeil’s window, he reached towards his floorboard, where they later found an unsheathed knife. No video footage shows McNeil reaching for anything at any point.)
“It’s not just how violent and brutal these officers were. It’s that they were absolutely unapologetic because they knew no one was going to hold them accountable,” Daniels said in a statement. “It’s clear that the State Attorney’s Office refuses to do anything about it. So we’re calling on the Department of Justice.”
“The State Attorney’s Office failing to hold these officers accountable for their actions and clear disregard for the rule of law is as appalling as the beating itself,” Crump said.
Unfortunately, chances are slim that any new investigation into McNeil’s case will be brought by the current DOJ, which has already made it abundantly clear that any civil rights cases it takes up must align with the white nationalist agenda of President Donald Trump. This is, after all, the same MAGA-fied DOJ that recently ended Biden-era police-accountability agreements with Minneapolis and Louisville that came as a result of extensive investigations following the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
We shall see how (or if) the DOJ responds to Crump and Daniels’ request. We shouldn’t hold our collective breath, though.
