It’s no secret that a large number of people in the black community don’t like police officers. While some don’t understand the reasoning behind it, others can’t forget names like Rodney King and Sean Bell.
More than the names of these men, people remember what they represent.
These men were victims of police brutality because of their skin color.
A new name was added to this list when a videotape of a police officer, violently attempting to arrest a girl surfaced in the media last week.
Shelwanda Riley, the 15-year-old Fort Pierce, Florida native being detained, was punched in the face and pepper sprayed by arresting officer Daniel Gilroy.
Although the tape showed the girl biting the police officer, it was only after he had her arm twisted in a painful position behind her back, with her face on the patrol car.
If the officer was going to pepper spray Riley, why was it necessary to punch her in the face?
After watching the video, one might ask what type of crime Riley committed. Sadly, she only broke a curfew law.
Some may argue that Riley resisted arrest and that the officer was only doing his job. She probably should have never bitten the police officer.
But the amount of force used on this small statured girl is questionable.
We thought that these laws were put in place to protect our children, but maybe that only applies to certain children.
The sad thing is that this could have happened to anybody. It’s time for young people to wake up and take a stand.
Christine Thomasos for the Editorial Board.