Two officers tackle the one to the ground and force him to kneel on the ground. He is then handcuffed. The other is placed on a couch.

New Jersey police are under fire following a video showing them breaking up a fight and reinforcing the Black teens involved differently.

This video, which was posted to Facebook Sunday shows a Black 8th-grader interacting with a white high schooler before a fight breaks out.

They start to trade blows for about 18 seconds before two Bridgewater officers arrive on the scene and seperate them. But it was how they separated them that caused the internet to go wild:

A female officer takes the black teen off the couch and places him on a chair. A male officer then tackles him to the ground. He is placed face-down and then knelt down. His arms are pulled behind his back and his hands are tied.

The female officer then unrestrainedly leaves the white teenager on the couch and adds her weight onto the back of the Black teen. The white teen can even watch from above as the opponent is marched off.

One of the girls can be heard saying, "Yo it is 'cause' he's Black," "Racially motivated."

Many commenters were angered by the disparity, with many pointing to the fact that officers arrived and the white teen was clearly in the lead over the black teen.

After the incident, both teens spoke to different news outlets and both realized what had happened was wrong.

"They basically wrestled me to the floor and then put his knee in mine back, then he started putting cuffs on, then the female officer came across and put her knee on mine upper back and started helping him put the cuffs on, while he was just sitting on the couch watching the whole scene," Kye, a Black teenager, said to ABC7.

He claimed that the fight began when the older boy started picking on his friend, who was in 7th grade.

Kye stated that his friend was fighting with an older child and so I just got into a fight. Since he was older, he was more powerful than me and was bigger. I was confused and mad about it.

Joey, a 15-year-old white teenager, told PIX11 that he was shocked that he wasn’t put in handcuffs as well. In fact, the video shows that he offered his wrists and hands to the officers.

He said, "I knew it wasn't right, and I knew there would be problems when they did that." "They didn’t go for me."

He said, "I don't understand why," "I even offered handcuffs."

Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer, was one of those who voiced outrage.

The teens were involved in an altercation at a NJ Mall, but only the Black teen was taken into custody! 1 ofc. The white teen was seated and allowed to observe the other. They both tackled the Black teenager and then handcuffed him! They are clearly racist and unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/Iq3y62aSJV

-- Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump), February 16, 2022

"These teens got into an altercation in a NJ mall. But only the Black teen was taken into custody!" He tweeted, "1 ofc." "Sat the white teenager down and allowed him to observe the other ofc. They both tackled the Black teenager and then handcuffed him! They are clearly racist and unacceptable.

Phil Murphy, the Governor of New Jersey, stated that although the facts are still being investigated "I am deeply disturbed by what appears as racially disparate treatments in this video." We are committed to increasing trust between law enforcement officers and those they serve.

While an investigation is still underway to gather the facts, I am deeply disturbed by this video's racially disparate treatment. We are committed to increasing trust between law enforcement officers and those they serve. https://t.co/ck9yCXMmL0

Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy), February 16, 2022

Bridgewater Township Police Department stated that it had been made aware of the video and requested assistance from Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

It stated that "We are aware that this video has upset members of our community and we are calling for an investigation into internal affairs."

The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that internal affairs were being investigated and asked anyone with video footage to provide it to them.

Matthew Moench, Mayor of New York, thanked residents for their patience while he investigated and urged them to not jump to conclusions.

He said, ABC7.

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Title: Viral Video of Mall Fight Causes Outrage — as Police Restrain Black Teen and White Teen VERY Differently
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/02/16/video-of-mall-fight-causes-outrage-as-police-restrain-black-teen-and-white-teen-very-differently/
Published Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2022 23:21:19 +0000

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