A protest has been called by the original Black Panther organization of Milwaukee following a video of a Wauwatosa officer striking a teen outside of Mayfair Mall.
The footage shows a 17-year-old being hit in the face and knocked to the ground by an officer after a mall security guard dialed the authorities around 4:30 p.m. Friday on a group of Black men who were allegedly causing a ruckus, according to WISN.
The revolutionary party arranged a meeting with the Wauwatosa Police Department and security personnel on Saturday afternoon. The Black Panthers demanded the firing and conviction of the officer and want the security guard terminated. They marched inside of Mayfair Mall and advised buyers to boycott the shopping center.
“For too often are we being subjected to racial profiling in this mall, far too often. Those dynamics have to change and we’re here to demand that they change,” said King Rick who led about eight Black Panthers in mall protest, in a video posted to his Facebook page.
https://twitter.com/Matsamon/status/995437704350388224
Officers claimed in a police statement that the “video shows only a small segment of the interaction between the suspect and the officer.”
However, Rick rebutted, “It doesn’t matter if that individual was causing a disturbance in Mayfair Mall. He did not deserve to be brutally assaulted and punched in his face.”
The Black Panthers also insisted that officers go through diversity training and assured: “We are not taking anything lightly.”
Chief Barry Weber of the Wauwatosa Police Department stated, “I can assure you that we take all situations seriously when they involve a use of force by our officers. We thoroughly review all incidents in which force is used by an officer and will do so in this incident, as well,” the news source reported.
The 17-year-old suspect was charged with battery, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct after his arrest according to police. He was released from custody.
https://www.facebook.com/rick.farmer.56/videos/10211790013969410/