August 12th 2023.
A video of a Black teen being arrested by Lansing, Michigan Police has caused an uproar online. The video, posted to TikTok by @careyann327 on Aug. 10, features the teen wearing neon yellow shorts and a white T-shirt while being detained by a police officer for being mistaken for a car theft suspect. The video has garnered over 215,000 likes and views, and the caption explains that the teen was merely taking out the trash when he was confronted by the police.
In response to the incident, the Lansing, Michigan Police Department posted a statement to Facebook calling it an "unfortunate misunderstanding." They explained that after a suspect matching the description was spotted, the officer saw the teen wearing a similar outfit and initiated contact. Once the information was obtained, the young man was released and the officers continued to search the area.
The video has sparked outrage on social media, with users blaming America for continuing the rift between Black people and the police. Kenny Akers tweeted, "Just a kid taking out the trash—America," and user nyccookies wrote, "This city is paying 6 police officers to arrest a child for throwing out garbage."
The video shows the teen's father pushing back against the police, calling his son the "perfect kid" and accusing the officer of always using an excuse. "They've traumatized my son," the father stated to the person taking the video.
The incident is a reminder of the tense relationship between Black people and police that has existed since the death of George Floyd in 2020. In response to the injustice, people from major cities, such as Atlanta, Baltimore, New York City, and Philadelphia, have called for defunding their police departments.
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