Ever since the death of George Floyd, Americans are out on the streets protesting police brutality. Despite many attempts to contain the protests, which at one point even turned violent, people continue to march down the roads in Black Lives Matter protests. Sadly, these processions have led to more brutality from the cops - the very thing thousands of people are protesting.
In yet another shocking incident that has come to light, a viral video shows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officials manhandling a disabled black man on his wheelchair during a peace protest earlier this week. The undated video that was shared on Twitter has since gone viral and drew criticism towards the actions of the LAPD officers.
LAPD assaulting disabled black man
The video shows several LAPD officers making arrests. One disabled black man was helplessly trying to resist arrest, but immediately gets knocked down and gets his wheelchair snatched away. While one cop throws the wheelchair aside and one of the wheels pop right out, two other cops hold the disabled black man who was part of a protest. In the background, the cops can be seen arresting at least one other person and the rest of the cops trying to keep the crowd from coming close.
How the events unfolded?
The original video was posted on Instagram by the handle Active Advocate. The disabled black man who was arrested is identified as Joshua.
The peaceful protest had been underway for over a month and a half in downtown LA and there had been no arrests or medical incidents. The protests started at City Hall and marched to LAPD HQ downtown on Wednesday. As the protestors continued their march, two women were being detained by the LAPD officers using excessive force, the Active Advocate claimed. During the protest demanding the release of two detained women, one of the protestors started having a seizure.
Tens of police officers were deployed to the scene but no medical support was in sight. Soon after, the video showed the assault on Joshua, the disabled black man who was arrested using excess force.
Calls for 'defund the police'
George Floyd's death has sparked nationwide protests and the call to "defund the police" is getting louder. The protests are being carried out to end racial injustice and police brutality in the US. Floyd's death is not an isolated incident, in fact, a reminder of the long-standing injustice towards people of colour.
According to an AP review of Minneapolis Police Department data, police used force for over 11,000 times in the past five years. And of those, 60% of it was used against Black people even though they represent only 19% of the city's population.
