“See Something, Say Something” — Unless It’s Police Brutality
Today the ACLU of Massachusetts filed suit against two officers from
the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority police department for civil
rights violations against our client Mary Holmes. From the ACLU’s
website:
In March 2014, Ms. Holmes was at the Dudley Square MBTA
station in Roxbury when she saw Officer Jennifer Garvey scream at and
shove an older Black woman. The situation worried Ms. Holmes so she
tried to calm the woman and asked Officer Garvey to stop being so
aggressive. When these efforts failed, she called 9-1-1 for help. In
response, Officer Garvey and her partner, Officer Alfred Trinh,
pepper-sprayed Ms. Holmes in the face, beat her with a metal baton, and
arrested her, handcuffing her hands behind her back while forcing her to
the ground.
“The MBTA has signs everywhere telling people ‘if you see something,
say something.’ This is exactly what Ms. Holmes did. She saw something
wrong, and she spoke out. We need more people to follow Ms. Holmes’ lead
and do the same,” said Jessie Rossman, staff attorney at the ACLU of
Massachusetts. “Unfortunately, the officers’ reactions are part of a
broader, troubling trend, in which police officers mistreat individuals
exercising their constitutional rights. It has to stop.”
See something, say something—unless it’s police brutality. That isn’t right. Stay tuned for more news on this lawsuit.
No comments:
Post a Comment