FLINT, MI – At a church Wednesday afternoon on the city’s northside, a group of people gathered in solidarity.
Standing at the front of Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church, the group spoke of unity and the breakdown in trust that occurred when John Fleming became – as they described it – another Black man to have his civil liberties violated by police.
“Today is simply a call to action to simply let you know if you did not know that this is going on in the year of our lord, 2022, in Flint, Michigan,” said Pastor DeVontae Powell of the Rising Star Baptist Missionary Church. “This is a wakeup call to all the residents in Flint, Michigan, that we need to stand together. You cannot celebrate the holy week this week and shout about the name Jesus without saying the name John Fleming.”
Powell was joined by Minister Jalil X. Carter of The Nation of Islam and Darius Hollins of Flint’s Black Lives Matter chapter in a rally they said was a call to action to the Flint community involved in holding the officers involved in Fleming’s case accountable and by supporting Fleming’s family and getting him the legal counsel needed to move forward.
Fleming, 30, is a Black man who has accused Flint Township police officers and a Genesee County Sheriff’s deputy of using excessive force twice in one day after being wrongfully accused of retail fraud and then for allegedly trespassing, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest.
Related: Flint man says township police, sheriff’s deputy used excessive force; agencies disputing claims
He spent three days in the Genesee County Jail, but Fleming has not been charged with a crime.
The first incident, in Flint Township, stemmed from what has since been deemed bad information provided by Flint Township Walmart employees, who called 911 to report that Fleming had committed retail fraud.
While handcuffing Fleming, the Flint Township officers used too much force, Fleming alleged.
He was released from his handcuffs and taken to Hurley Medical Center in Flint after officers verified that receipts matched the items in Fleming’s shopping bags.
In a phone call Wednesday, April 6, Flint Township Police Department Lt. Brad Wangler said the agency is aware of the allegations raised by Fleming and that it is looking into them.
“As with all use-of-force situations, the Flint Township Police Department is conducting a thorough investigation into this incident to ensure applicable policies and procedures were followed,” Wangler has since said in a statement.
While at Hurley, Fleming got into a disagreement with a nurse who he said told him he couldn’t use a bed despite his injuries from the aforementioned incident.
The argument culminated with four officers holding Fleming on the ground, six knees in his back. Video of the incident shows a sheriff’s deputy punching Fleming in the head.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said Wednesday that the agency is reviewing the incident to see if excessive force was used.
“People in this profession have tools that we have to use in order to maintain order, law and order,” Swanson said. “And again, the public doesn’t see that as much as they see all the positive stuff we are doing. So, when they do see it, it is disturbing.
“But it’s still worthy of investigation, and that’s why we are there.”
Prior to speaking at the church, Powell, Carter and others met with Swanson inside a room at the sheriff’s office. Swanson said the groups spoke about how far police and the Black community have come in Genesee County, but also acknowledged how far there is to go.
“These are our community voices and hearts. These are county ambassadors. These are our Nation of Islam friends and people that are in the community, because law enforcement has to be different,” Swanson said. “We made a claim in the parking lot of Target back in 2020 that we’re going to do things different and this is part of that evolution.”
Carter spoke of the meeting as well, telling a scattered audience at the church that he listened to the sheriff and to Flint Township Police Chief Kevin Salter speak of change.
But he said something was missing from the conversation.
“I sat and listened patiently, and I listened to what everybody said, and what did I say was missing?” he asked the audience, rhetorically. “Nobody at no time showed no human consideration for that brother. And I said to them, if God allowed a human being to come onto the planet, those of us in leadership have the responsibility to treat all of God’s creations with respect.”
Carter also said he felt there was a breakdown in communication between police officers and Fleming, adding that he would like to see officers in both departments undergo training on how to communicate with a growing population of people who feel detached from law enforcement.
“They don’t see someone coming to serve and protect, so you have to understand the perspective and mindset of this environment when you come to address an issue,” he said.
“It’s no longer that we’ve got time to wait for people to figure it out,” Carter continued. “There’s been enough time, we have enough people (who) died. If you ain’t figured it out by now (then) you don’t want to figure it out.”
Read more on MLive:
Genesee County Target store scammed for $93,000 in four days
Suspect in Flint double homicide arrested
Police ID man shot, killed outside Flint store
"used" - Google News
April 08, 2022 at 11:53PM
https://ift.tt/woJrs59
Public demands action after Flint man alleges township police, sheriff’s deputy used excessive force - MLive.com
"used" - Google News
https://ift.tt/rXxa1gA
https://ift.tt/v1EHRVf
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Public demands action after Flint man alleges township police, sheriff’s deputy used excessive force - MLive.com"
Post a Comment