Video footage of a woman being dragged to the floor at Waffle House with her clothes almost stripped off and taken to jail by Alabama police officers, sparked outrage among a lot of people, but the 25-year-old spoke publicly for the first time on Sunday, April 30, in a TV interview with Reverend Al Sharpton and asked for ongoing support.
Chikesia Clemons recounted the entire ordeal that happened in Saraland, Alabama and said the incident has been tough for her to handle, but she’s trying to remain uplifted.
“I’m just taking it day by day, it’s just so hard on me, I can’t eat I can’t sleep, I’m constantly crying, I have a six-year-old daughter, I’m trying to be strong for her,” Clemons told Sharpton on Politics Nations. She continued, “She sees me crying, she starts to cry so it’s very hard on me at the time right now.”
Although, Clemons did not talk much about the case due to legalities, the 25-year-old did convey how appreciative she is of the people who’ve jumped to her defense since release of the video and asked that people continue to fight for her justice.
“I’m so appreciative of the love and support you guys have been giving, I ask you guys continue to be behind me as you fight for justice for me,” said Clemons. Her attorney Benjamin Crump added, “There are two independent white women who were in the restaurant that night that said what the waitress did and more importantly what the Saraland Police did, Reverend Al, was just unacceptable.”
#ChikesiaClemons discusses how she feels after being assaulted and arrested at Waffle House on #PoliticsNation pic.twitter.com/9b1ORgUspb
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) April 29, 2018
Leaders of the Women’s March are backing Clemons and released the following statement on Twitter:
“What we saw on that video was a brutal assault and an act of sexual violence perpetrated by law enforcement in your establishment. This is victim blaming at its most dangerous. We call on Waffle House to demand that the Saraland Police Department drop all charges against Ms. Clemons and offer her a public apology.”
The Saraland Police stated that Clemons and a friend were intoxicated inside of the restaurant and Clemons allegedly threatened to “shoot up the place.” However, there are witnesses that refuted those claims according to the victim’s attorney.
Reverend Sharpton along with Crump plan to host a town hall meeting discussing the controversial Waffle House arrest. It will take place this week on Tuesday, May 1 at Bethel AME Church starting a 7 p.m. in Mobile, Alabama according to the news source.
Just got my hands on an official statement from @WaffleHouse @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/1tDnSM9Ewd
— Audrey Washington (@AudreyWSBTV) April 30, 2018
