A Black woman was out walking her dog on Saturday when an officer accosted her in an incident she believes was the result of racial profiling.
Featured Video
Hide
Nikkita Brown was walking her pup in Chicago’s Lincoln Park when she was approached by an unidentified officer. The park was closed at the time, although other people were in the vicinity as well.
One of those bystanders recorded the interaction between Brown and the officer from a distance, and the video shows things escalating fairly quickly. According to Brown’s lawyers, she told the officer she was on her way out of the park and was trying to leave, but he closely follows her, gets her in face, and then violently attacks her for no discernible reason.
Advertisement
Hide
The bystander video shows her screaming for help as the officer attempts to restrain her and her small dog jumps around trying to get him off of her.
Eventually, Brown gets free of him, the two exchange additional words, and she walks off.
Another video taken at a different angle by other bystanders shows that they were yelling from a distance at the cop to “chill” and leave Brown alone.
“This was an obvious case of racial profiling,” Brown’s attorney, Keenan J. Saulter, said in a statement, which notes that at least one group of four people in the park and in the officer’s realm of vision were white.
Saulter also added that she called 911 upon returning home and filed a report against the officer.
Footage of the incident went viral, resulting in attention from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“I was quite disturbed by what I saw,” Lightfoot said. “It looked like the woman was following the direction of the officer and leaving the beach…This is a pretty straightforward matter.”
COPA, meanwhile, called for the officer to be placed on administrative duties pending investigation, which he reportedly has been as of Monday evening.
Superintendent of Police David Brown has asked people to be patient as the investigation takes place, insisting that they don’t have a “full accounting” of what happened from the officer.
*First Published: August 31, 2021, 6:59 am
0 Comments