A OFFICER IN AUSTIN WAS RECORDED SAYING THAT BLACKS HAVE
VIOLENT TENDENCIES, IS THE SHORT OF THIS.
BREAION KING WAS BEING ARRESTED BY AN OFFICER IN TEXAS.
IT WAS CAUGHT ON VIDEO.
THE OFFICER SLAMMED HER TO THE FLOOR.
ON THE WAY TO THE POLICE STATION, STARTED TRYING TO
EXPLAIN WHY BLACK PEOPLE GET SUCH A BAD RAP IN TERMS,
ONLY RACISTS CAN UNDERSTAND.
LET'S TAKE
A LOOK.
>>OH, MY GOD.
>> BEFORE WE GET INTO THIS DISCUSSION, LET'S TALK
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT OFFICER.
HE IS PUT ON DESK DUTY, OR ADMINISTERED OF LEAVE, OR
WHATEVER THEY DO.
ART ACEVEDO WHO IS THE AUSTIN POLICE CHIEF MADE A STATEMENT.
THE
PERSON WHO YOU SAW GETTING ARRESTED SAID: WHAT DO YOU
GUYS THINK?
>>I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN THE FULL VIDEO WHERE
SHE NARRATES THE EXPERIENCE.
WATCHING THAT IT MAKES YOU FEEL SO DEEPLY UNCOMFORTABLE.
THIS ESCALATED SO QUICKLY, AND THE JOB OF THE POLICE IS TO
DE-ESCALATE THE SITUATION.
THIS GUY PULLS HER FROM HER CAR, SHE IS VERY CONFUSED [VIDEO
BUFFERING] AND TO GO FROM THAT, THEN YOU SEE HER IN THIS
COP CAR QUESTIONING THIS POLICE OFFICER, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?
WHY ARE PEOPLE AFRAID OF BLACK PEOPLE?
THEN SHE JUST TAKES THAT INCREDIBLY RACIST ANSWER
AND JUST TAKES IT.
THAT IS SUCH A SAD COMMENTARY ON THE EXPECTATION AND HOPELESSNESS
THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THIS COUNTRY ARE EXPERIENCING.
>>HE DOESN'T EVEN JUSTIFY.
HE SAYS I DON'T HAVE FACTS, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO JUSTIFY
IT, IT'S JUST TRUE.
>> BUT HE IS SAYING IT LIKE ñ COME ON.
>> IF YOU LISTEN TO A WHITE POLICE OFFICER ON WHY THIS
ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS BEING ñ HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE POLICE.
LET ME EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY DON'T
UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE BEING HANDCUFFED.
BY THE WAY, THAT WAS A WENDY'S PARKING LOT?
>> SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS BEING PULLED OVER FOR SPEEDING.
>>SHE'S PART.
IT'S VERY CONFUSING.
>>THE STORY IS THAT SHE WAS GOING 50 MILES OVER THE
SPEED LIMIT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IMMEDIATELY JUSTIFIES BEING
FACEDOWN IN THE GROUND AND ARRESTED IN A VIOLENT WAY.
>> WHAT IS WEIRD TO ME IS TO GO AND SAY YOU PEOPLE HAVE
VIOLENT TENDENCIES.
THIS COMING FROM A PERSON WHO JUST REACHED INTO A CAR AND
LIFTED SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE SHE'S 90
POUNDS, AND SLAMMED HER DOWN.
HERE IS ANOTHER THING THAT IS EITHER DEMONSTRATED IN A
VIDEO BY PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING THINGS OUT, OR PEOPLE
TRYING EXPERIENCE THINGS.
HAVING SOMEONE TRY TO STOP RESISTING ARREST WHEN YOU
ARE BEING GRABBED BY SOMEONE AND THROWN DOWN, AND BEING TOLD
TO PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK, EVERY INSTINCT THAT
YOU HAVE IN YOUR BODY WHEN SOMEONE GRABS YOU AND TRIES
TO LIFT YOU IS TO RESIST IT.
YOU TENSE UP.
THAT IS A REFLEX.
AND TO KEEP YELLING AT HER, AND HOLD HER DOWN, AND THAT
YOUR ARMS UP IN THE BACK TO TRY TO NEUTRALIZE ANY ABILITY
OF HERS TO MOVE, THAT IS DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY
VERY INJURIOUS PHYSICALLY.
WE HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY.
>> IT AGAIN COMES BACK TO HOW DO YOU DE-ESCALATE THE
SITUATION, WHICH IS WHAT POLICE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.
EVERYTHING HE DID IN THIS CASE ONLY MADE HER MORE AFRAID,
ONLY MADE HER MORE HYSTERICAL AND ALSO PHYSICALLY HARMED HER.
YOU MAKE A REALLY GOOD POINT.
AT SOME POINT IN TIME HE HAS TO LOOK AT HER LIKE A HUMAN.
SHE IS TERRIFIED.
IF IT WAS NECESSARY TO PUT HER IN HANDCUFFS, IN A
DIFFERENT SITUATION BE LIKE ALL RIGHT, CAN YOU PLEASE PUT
YOUR HANDS ON THE CAR AND TAKE IT FROM THERE.
THE TREATMENT OF THIS WOMAN, AND THEN TO HEAR HER INTERVIEW
AFTER THE FACT IS INCREDIBLY SAD.
WE HAVE TO EXPECT BETTER.
WE HAVE TO.
>>IT'S ALSO ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU ARE
SUPPOSED TO PROTECT, RIGHT?
IF A WHITE POLICE OFFICER IS PROTECTING A COMMUNITY ñ
IF BLACK PEOPLE ñ IT IS SANE AND REASONABLE TO WANT TO HAVE
THAT PERSON UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY BETTER, DO
COMMUNITY POLICING, POSSIBLY GO OUT TO THE CHURCHES OR
WHEREVER PEOPLE GATHER, TALK TO THEM AND EXPLAIN TO THEM
HOW THEY ARE KEEPING THE NEIGHBORHOOD SAFE.
GET TO MEET THESE PEOPLE SO THAT WHEN YOU DO HAVE THESE
INSANELY INAPPROPRIATE WAYS OF THINKING IN REGARDS TO
PEOPLE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT, THEN MAYBE YOU WILL
BE LESS CONFRONTATIONAL, OR LESS VIOLENT AND YOU WON'T THINK THAT
ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE VIOLENT WHEN YOU ARE HANDCUFFING THEM.
>>THAT IS A GOOD POINT.
SHE DOES ASK FOR A BLACK POLICE OFFICER.
>>I THINK THAT IS REASONABLE.
I HAVE HEARD DIFFERENT COMMENTS AGAINST THAT.
MOST COPS IN BLACK COMMUNITIES ARE STILL WHITE.
I FEEL LIKE THERE IS AN ARGUMENT TO BE MADE ABOUT POSSIBLY
HAVING MEMBERS OF THAT COMMUNITY REPRESENTED IN THE POLICE
FORCE IN A MORE PROPORTIONATE WAY.
>>WHEN I HEAR I WANT A BLACK POLICE OFFICER, THAT IS
MORE OF A SYMPTOM THAT THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN THAN
SOMETHING THAT SHOULD MATTER.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE COLOR OF THE POLICE OFFICER IS,
THE SAME WAY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE COLOR OF THE PERSON IS
WHO JUST GOT THROWN TO THE FLOOR.
WE SHOULD BE DE-ESCALATING VIOLENCE, DE-ESCALATE
SITUATIONS AS SOON AS THEY HAPPEN, BASED ON A PROTOCOL.
AND THAT HASN'T HAPPENED.
>> YOU SEE THAT IT DOESN'T EXPECT TO HAPPEN WHICH IS
WHY SHE ASKS FOR A BLACK POLICE OFFICER.
IT'S JUST SAD.
>>IT IS SAD THAT THE ONE GOOD THING IN THIS INSTANCE IS
THAT AT LEAST HE DIDN'T SHOOT HER.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>>I THINK WE WILL GO TO THAT RIGHT NOW.
FIRST I WANT TO SAY, I WATCHED THE INTERVIEW WITH ART
ACEVEDO, THE POLICE CHIEF, AND HE GETS IT.
HE MIGHT BE DOING A GREAT JOB OF COVERING UP SOME DYSFUNCTION,
BUT WHEN I HEAR HIM TALK HE JUST SAYS THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS.
THERE WAS A BREAKDOWN, HE SHOULD HAVE DE-ESCALATED THE VIOLENCE.
AGAIN, GO WATCH THE LOCAL AUSTIN PAPER THAT PUT OUT A VIDEO
ON THEIR WEBSITES OF A REPORT.
>>YOU SEE HOW THE FULL THING WENT DOWN, AND HOW SHE IS
DOING TODAY.
I THINK IT IS WORTH GETTING THE FULL STORY.