Race Relations Tense In Hagerstown, Maryland, After Press Conference Over ‘Police Brutality’

Although it seemed to be an honest mistake, with a lucky outcome, since nobody was injured – an incident in Hagerstown, Maryland, last Sunday has further deteriorated race relations and social instability in a city that continues to make the “Top Ten Worst Places To Live in Maryland.” Plagued with a poor economy and the spread of urban blight, downtown Hagerstown has become a mecca for illegal activities like drug possession and sales, condemned buildings, and prostitution. As the city continues to succumb to increased unemployment and poverty, local police struggle to keep up with demand in crime and need for further patrol.

On Sunday, what should have been a clear-cut case with a good outcome has turned into a public relations nightmare for police, with citizens sharply divided over the way law enforcement handled a combative teenager who had struck an elderly man’s vehicle while riding her bicycle through an intersection in downtown Hagerstown. Although minimal damage was incurred to the vehicle, and seemingly no bodily injury occurred to either subject, Maryland law states that minors under the age of 18 be transported to a hospital or their parents must sign a refusal form after an accident, absolving police and paramedics from negative outcomes.

15 yo girl pepper sprayed by Hagerstown Police arrives at news conference pic.twitter.com/yxNe0cG4PC

— Richard Reeve (@richardreeve317) September 22, 2016

That’s where the trouble began – the unnamed 15-year-old girl resisted being detained by police for questioning. A body camera worn by one of the officers shows her belligerently saying, “Get the f*** off me” and as police attempted to verbally detain her, those methods failed. She was then placed in handcuffs after attempting to flee the scene, struggling and hitting at police officers who continued to tell her that all they needed was a parent to arrive and sign her release for refusal of medical treatment. The 15-year-old girl is hysterical and stating “my parents are watching football!” The police officer calmly tells her, “This is more important than a football game.” You can watch the officer’s body cam about how quickly things escalated here, as provided by YouTube.

The girl, at times hysterically screaming, would not comply and eventually kicked an officer so hard that it disabled his body camera. Fortunately, another police officer on the scene had a body camera as well. The girl was pepper sprayed by police prior to transport. This decision was one that the girl’s attorney, and many protestors in Hagerstown, take issue with. Nearly immediately protestors took to the streets in defense on the girl, peacefully picketing in front of Hagerstown Police Department. Small bursts of protest activity have broken out in nearby Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Although the girl was not injured, her family has retained an attorney who spoke on her behalf at a press conference. She stood there demurely, her parents and brother at her side, as her attorney categorized her as an honor student and high school wrestling star. The attorney alleges undue force was used and that she was slammed into a brick building, as reported by the Baltimore Sun.

https://twitter.com/HarryO1975/status/779226598306439169

The Hagerstown police department says that policy was followed and that officers acted appropriately. Although many have said this is a case of police brutality against African Americans (the teenage girl is biracial) others say it’s nothing more than police following procedure.

While area residents remain alert for a full-scale riot, the police have charged the juvenile with the accident and with marijuana possession that was found in her backpack.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Were the police too forceful? Do you feel this is a case of police brutality? Do you believe the police reacted in a certain manner because the child is biracial? Please share your thoughts.

https://youtu.be/cKPEa7_dHLs

[Featured Image by Hagerstown, MD Police Department/AP Images]