The viral video of a Black woman being pummeled by a policeman has put social media fire with anger, outrage, and calls for immediate justice.
According toCBS News39-year-old Erika McGriff was parked at an intersection in front of IDEA charter school in Jacksonville, Fla., Riverview neighborhood. McGriff picked up her 9-year-old daughter in the rain and said she asked the school's principal about proper protocol when picking up children in the weather.
“I asked the director what was the proper procedure for picking up the walkers when it rained,” McGriff later said in a press conference on Tuesday. “He explained the procedures to me. I then went to pick up my daughter.”
A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office deputy allegedly approached McGriff because her license had been previously revoked. When she left, a verbal confrontation ensued that turned violent.
Warning: This video may be disturbing
This could easily just be a ticket, and everyone goes about their day, yet officers often have no desire to de-escalate a situation. Imposing people should be an absolute last resort and should be used especially 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 grabs, being punched in the face with closed fists, with a knee to the 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 do their part to pick up their daughter from school so she won't get rained on.”
According to First Coast NewsJSO Sheriff TK 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 go to court to fight a police officer … you might get a citation and go to jail because it's a third-degree felony,” Waters said.
Blue will always return blue. At this time, no lawsuit has been filed, but it won't be a surprise if one is.
