Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo apologized for the violent arrest of a black woman by white officers during a traffic stop in June 2015, of which one of the officers later made racially derogatory comments.
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Two police officers are now under investigation for the violent arrest of an African-American teacher in Austin that happened back on June 15, 2015.
In this July 19, 2016 photo, Breaion King is overcome with emotion as she describes being pulled from her auto and thrown to the ground by an Austin police officer during a traffic stop in 2015, during an interview held at her attorney, Erica Grigg’s office in Austin, Texas. She steps out of her auto, and he tells her to get back inside. “Put your feet back in the vehicle so I can close the door”, said Officer Bryan Richter during the 2015 arrest. Richter yells at her to “Stop resisting!” adding, “Get out of the auto!” “I’m getting up!” Watching a 112-pound woman slammed into the ground, tripped, lifted into the air, and slammed into the ground again, for her crime of speeding sure looks like what they call “excessive force”.
Richter orders King to put her hands behind her back while the two struggle on the ground.
“But I’m already stopped so can you technically stop me”, she asks while arranging her documents to give to Richter. She had parked in a parking spot and got out of her Nissan Versa. The sound of the auto horn in King’s vehicle can be heard as the two struggle by the driver’s side door.
While in the patrol auto with a different police officer, identified as Officer Patrick Spradlin, King asks the officer driving if he believes there was racism out there. In a speech after Castile’s death, President Obama told the nation that police shootings of black people in America are “not isolated incidents” but are “symptomatic of a broader set of racial disparities in our criminal justice system”. On the contrary, such movements and unity among the Black community are aimed at emphasizing a sense of pride in being Black and the refusal to be victimized by the institutionalized white supremacy that oppresses them on a daily basis.
The officer then says he has a “really good idea” why people are afraid of African Americans – because they have “violent tendencies”.
‘Oh my God. Why are you doing this to me?’
In this July 19, 2016 photo, Breaion King is overcome with emotion as she describes being pulled from her vehicle and thrown to the ground by an Austin police officer during a traffic stop in 2015, during an interview held at her attorney, Erica Grigg’s office in Austin, Texas.
Both officers were taken off law enforcement duties, and the police chief said administrative reviews are being conducted into past conduct by both officers.
As for King – she sees this as a teaching moment.
“No, why are you touching me?” A few things we won’t tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING.
Back in Austin, King’s attorney Erica Grigg, who is white, says she sees clear bias in the officer’s treatment of her client.
Acevedo brought up the fact that he gets a lot of flak from various agencies when he stands by groups like Black Lives Matter. “I get beat up for Black Lives Matter”.
The officer expounded further, stating that he doesn’t “blame white people” for their fear, because he seems to think it’s justified because of “violence”, as well as the appearance, of black people. “I get beat up for standing up with the Austin Justice Coalition”. He said officials also plan to review cases involving charges of resisting arrest, public intoxication and “other arrests we think could be used improperly” by police. The case was dismissed. The police claimed King had raised her fist at him as if she meant to punch him.
I’m sorry that in the day you were stopped for going 15 miles per hour, you were… treated in a manner that is not consistent with the expectations of this police chief, of most of the officers of this department, and most importantly, of all of us as human beings. “I can tell you that our police department, our culture that we have is one of engagement, one of acknowledgement, and one of continuing to work tirelessly overcome these issues”.
“I can tell you those comments are not consistent with the expectations, the mindset, that we want of our folks”, says Acevedo.
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Acevedo also concedes that it is a problem concerning the length of time it took him to hear of the issue, which warrants an additional look at internal processes within the department.
