Black Woman Assaulted for No Reason by Police Officer
VIDEO BELOW
Racial Profiling Likely by Chicago Police Officer
(IL) – An unidentified police officer with the Chicago Police Department is being investigated after the release of a video on social media. Nikkita Brown had been walking her dog in the park and was leaving when a police officer stopped her. He told her the park was closed and she needed to leave. Several other people were leaving the park also, but Nikkita was the only Black person doing so. There was a group of four white people behind her, but the officer chose to target Ms. Brown.
After the police officer tells Ms. Brown that the park is closed and she confirms she is leaving, he continues to follow her. The officer threatens to handcuff her, and makes shooing motions for her to keep going. The video from a bystander doesn’t catch what is being said but it’s obvious they are speaking even as Ms. Brown is leaving. At one point she stops and is doing something on her phone. This is when the police officer assaults her by grabbing her arm and trying to take her phone away.
After a struggle that goes on for a few minutes, the officer lets her go and picks up an item he dropped. They both walk off in different directions. Ms. Brown filed a police report when she got home.
Police Misconduct Investigation Started
The police officer has been placed on administrative leave, but the police department appears to be doing all they can to protect him. The are not releasing the identity of the police officer. They also will not say if he is on paid administrative leave or not. And they won’t even give Nikkita Brown a copy of the police report that was generated when she called and filed the assault.
It’s obvious from the video evidence, that Ms. Brown was not a threat. She is obeying the police officer’s instructions. Regardless what she is doing on her phone, she had a right to do it. There is no justification for the officer attacking her. That’s even more obvious when he eventually just walks away.
Where’s the Officer’s Report?
According to NBCNews.com,
Police have said that because the woman was not arrested, there is no arrest report detailing what occurred before the encounter.
The Chicago Police Department is being disingenuous here. Police officers are supposed to document their interactions, especially if use of force is involved. They have different types of reports. A non-arrest report at the Bexar County Jail is called an incident report. Other agencies may use a different term, but it’s the same thing.
The Chicago PD is being extremely literal and making it sound like there is nothing available. That’s highly unlikely under any circumstances, but particularly when they know they have a complaint. A sergeant with the agency took Ms. Browns complaint. They would have informed the officer to make sure they got the officer’s report. There is a report by this officer even if it’s not an arrest report.
A Civil Lawsuit is Likely Coming
Ms. Nikkita Brown has not filed a civil lawsuit so far, but does have an attorney. I imagine she will being filing one, and she should. Unfortunately, that seems like the only way to get local government agencies to put pressure on police departments to stop the abuses.