'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A video of an African American teenager being arrested by the Lansing police has sparked anger against police officers on social media platforms. The viral footage shows the Lansing officers incorrectly detaining the young Black boy as a suspect in a series of auto thefts in Michigan, while the latter was taking out his trash.
The video of the incident, which was uploaded by @TizzyEnt on X (previously known as Twitter) on August 12, has received thousands of views and comments. As soon as it went viral, social media users expressed their anger and disgust at the matter, asking the family to file a lawsuit against the Lansing police department.
Netizens took to X to comment under @TizzyEnt's post, which has already received over 135K views, over 3K likes, and several comments defending the young man who was arrested.
The video of the Lansing police draws flak online
The footage shows the 13-year-old in a parking lot beside a large dumpster, just after being detained by the Lansing police officer. Soon after, a man who seems to be his father appears and tries to protect the arrested young man. The four-and-a-half-minute viral video shows that as tensions rise between the teen's father and the Michigan police officer, they get into a heated argument.
More Lansing police officers then arrive at the scene, eventually handcuffing the boy and transporting him to a police van. The situation becomes tense, with cops saying the teen "fits the description" of the car thief.
The teen's father can be seen in the video getting into an argument with the police, calling his son the "perfect kid" and accusing the Lansing officer of "always using that as an excuse".
“They traumatized my son,” the man says in the video.
Both the father and the person filming can be heard explaining that the 13-year-old was only bringing out the trash. The handcuffs on the boy were later removed after multiple police officers arrived at the scene.
This episode adds to the growing criticism of police in America, particularly in relation to dealings with Black people.
Meanwhile, thousands of comments were left on the video uploaded by @TizzyEnt on X. Many of these comments expressed support for justice, noting that a lawsuit may hold the cops accountable for their acts.
This incident involving the police is just the latest in a string of such occurrences
This isn't the first time something like this has happened.
Property manager Kimberly Jennings assaulted two African American kids on August 3, 2023, when they were just enjoying themselves at the pool in the Sedgefield Gardens Apartments on West Avenue in Greensboro, North Carolina. In a viral video, Jennings is seen hurling soda and hitting one of the children with a bottle near a pool. She was arrested when the police were informed and an investigation was conducted.
On the other hand, a video from Lakewood, Colorado, went viral on several social media platforms in the first week of July 2023. In the footage, a woman can be seen cursing a Latino family having fun at a swimming pool. She then went on to complain about the group's size and called them "trash."
