California police under fire over jaywalking arrest and abuse of black teen
US police in Stockton, California are facing growing criticism after a mobile video showed multiple officers tackling an African-American teenager to the ground and arresting him for jaywalking.
Emilio Mayfield, 16, was rushing to school on Tuesday morning because he was late when he walked out of the crosswalk and started "jaywalking" near a bus stop in an attempt to get to school faster, according to his grandfather.
Jaywalking occurs when a pedestrian crosses a street where it is not permitted.
Mayfield "was then pulled back in a rough manner, and he realized that it was a police officer that tugged him," Mayfield’ grandfather, Reginald Duncan, told ABC News.
"The area where this happened is a pretty bad area of Stockton, and he's always been taught to keep it moving there."
Duncan said surveillance footage from the bus station "will reveal the truth of what happened." He added that he believes the footage will help prove his grandson "is a good kid."
Tensions have been running high between US police and the African American community over numerous cases of brutality against unarmed blacks.
Mayfield was seen walking in a bus-only lane where "a sign was posted explicitly saying you can't be there," according to Joe Silva, a public information officer for the Stockton Police Department.
The video shows several patrol cars arrive and four officers knock the boy to the ground, handcuff him and take him to a police car.
An unseen female bystander is heard shouting at police in an effort to stop the scuffle. “That’s a kid! Don’t touch him, leave him alone! That’s a kid. Are you serious? He didn’t do nothing (sic) wrong.”
Internet users have flooded the Stockton Police Department’ website with comments condemning the cops in the arrest and supporting Mayfield.
Similar cases of excessive use of force by Stockton police have been reported in recent years. In 2012, hundreds of people marched to the Stockton Police Department headquarters and blocked traffic to protest against several police shootings.
The killing of several unarmed black men by white police officers in the past year and decisions by grand juries not to indict the officers have triggered large-scale protests across the US.
The majority of Americans say racial and ethnic discrimination is “a big problem” in the United States and many believe the country’s race relations have gotten worse under President Barack Obama, according to a recent poll.
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