It Was Rare for Officers to Arrest Residents Caring for Hurt Loved Ones — Unless They Were Black
Federal officials admitted that it’s key to maintain control of any hostile situation in law enforcement, which is why many people are ordered to stay back even after their loved one has been shot or otherwise injured by officers or during an altercation. Even when these orders to stay back are violated, however, it is rare that the traumatized loved one is then arrested for rushing to the aid of their friend or family member. That wasn’t the case for Black citizens in Ferguson. Even when there was no hostile situation at hand, officers arrested citizens who were trying to help an injured loved one, the report revealed. In one case, a man was arrested after he refused to leave his girlfriend’s side after she had been injured in a car accident. The report alleged that officers treated the man rudely when they made it to the scene and then arrested him.
Arresting Citizens for Exercising Their First Amendment Rights
Ferguson police officers never displayed much respect for Black citizens’ First Amendment rights, according to the report’s findings. On many occasions, citizens were punished for “talking back to officers” when they questioned why they were being arrested. The report also revealed that the police officers frequently intimidated bystanders who tried to record their excessive use of force and violated the rights of peaceful protesters.
