*We guarantee this story (and videos) out of Phoenix will piss you off and make your head explode when you see how cruel and brutal Phoenix’ “finest” can be when it comes to their interation with black people. And because of the violent treatment towards them by the a-hole cops, the family that was victimized is suing the city of Phoenix for $10 million.
This situation that unfolded boils down to this: A young, black family – Dravon Ames, 22, his pregnant fiancée Iesha Harper, 24, and their daughters, Island, 4 and 1-year-old London – was held at gunpoint after their 4-year-old (Island) walked out of a dollar store with a Barbie-like doll – unbeknownst to the parents.
The incident happened on May 29. Video of the encounter was just released at the end this week. It shows the officers needlessly and cursing at both parents while ordering the family to put their hands up and to get out of their vehicle. The whole scene is disheartening, but especially so when you witness the a-hole officers SCREAMING expletives at the family in front of their two small children, escalating the situation to unnecessary levels.
“Get your f*cking hands up!” one officer screams over and over at the couple. “I”m going to put a f*cking cap right in your f*cking head! Get your f*cking hands up! Who the f*ck is that man?”
As she’s holding her children, Iesha Harper tells the officers she can’t open the door because it doesn’t work properly. Officer threaten to shoot her.
“You’re going to f*cking get shot!” he shouts, pointing a gun at the vehicle. “Are you f*cking deaf? Get out the f*cking car!”
“I can’t put my hands up,” Harper sobs. “I have a f*cking baby in my hands. I can’t, I’m pregnant. Officer, he’s overdoing sh*t. He’s overdoing it.”
Meanwhile, another officer basically pulls Dravon Ames out of the car, roughing him up as he puts him in handcuffs. He’s seen slamming Ames’ face against a cruiser, kicking his legs, and punching him in the back while he’s pinned to the police car. The officer is screaming at Ames, ordering him “When I tell you to do something, you f*cking do it.”
We’ll give Ames credit for keeping his cool and calmly responding to the absolute asshole that had him in his clutches, “I didn’t do anything, sir.”
Meanwhile, the other asshole (officer) is seen screaming at Harper to put the baby down and he even tries to snatch the baby from her arms. Then he screams at her to put the baby down on the hot pavement. She refuses and a scuffle ensues.
Lord have mercy. We can only wonder what we would do if fate put us in that situation.
In any event, that’s why Ames and Harper are suing the city of Phoenix. We’ve got the deets on that below, but first, if you can stomach it, check out the video of the gutwrenching and disheartening event. But be warned, all the expletives we wrote above, you’ll see/HEAR in the clips.
“My hands are up! My hands are up!” 22yo Dravon Ames says as a Phoenix police officer yells to “get your fucking hands up.” The same officer later says “You’re gonna fucking get shot!”
Ames says the officers stopped him after his child walked out of a Dollar Store with a doll. pic.twitter.com/Nlkd7IXsyc
— Meg O’Connor (@megoconnor13) June 12, 2019
WOMAN PRAISED FOR FILMING HAWTHORNE, CA POLICE AIMING GUNS AT KNEELING BLACK MAN [VIDEO]
Another angle of the incident filmed by a different resident of the apartment complex where Ames and his pregnant fiancee were dropping off their kids with a babysitter show a Phoenix police officer trying to yank the child from the mother’s arms. pic.twitter.com/pTb07lZAXD
— Meg O’Connor (@megoconnor13) June 12, 2019
BREAKING: New video shows a deranged cop threatening to shoot a Black mother dead because her 4-year-old toddler “stole” a 99 cent Barbie from a dollar store. UNBELIEVABLE! THIS IS AMERICA… #Racism #PhoenixPD #BlackLivesMAtter #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/bFZ1jcj9cE
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) June 14, 2019
A notice of claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit, was filed on Thursday morning.
The documents claim that Phoenix police officers engaged in police brutality and civil rights violations.
The claim said the incident happened on May 29 but police said it was on May 27.
Now, as far the lawsuit Ames and Harper have filed, according to their claim, Dravon Ames and Iesha Harper, who is five months pregnant, didn’t realize their 4-year-old took a doll from the Family Dollar Store at 36th Street and McDowell Road until they were in the car.
The family drove to an apartment complex near 32nd and Roosevelt streets, where their babysitter lived. A police car pulled up behind them with “no sirens or lights,” court documents said.
“We’re talking about a little doll that’s worth maybe $5 and the horrors that came from the overreaction to that,” said former Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, who is representing the family.
That’s when the family claims an officer went up to Ames, who was in the driver’s seat, pointed a gun at him and said, “I’m going to put a cap in your ass.” The officer also said, “I’m gonna shoot you in your (expletive) face,” the claim said.
Their 4-year-old and their 1-year-old children were in the backseat of the car.
The family claims the officer pulled Ames out of the car, kicked him in the right leg, and punched him in the back. Ames said he wasn’t resisting.
“He kicked me pretty hard,” said Ames. “I’m still limping.”
The officer also pointed a gun at the mother and children inside, the claim said.
Ames and Harper claim they were put into handcuffs and that threats with profanity were made.
“They held guns on these little girls,” said Rev. Jarrett Maupin, a civil rights activist. “They held guns on these two parents.”
Some of the incident was caught on camera, but the family says five to 10 minutes went by from when officers first approached and when people started filming.
No arrests were made, and no one was charged.
“After this, me and my daughters will never be the same anymore or feel the same for police because it seems like every police is (sic) out for blood or something. We wasn’t (sic) really doing anything,” said Harper.
The claim says the car was impounded and Ames’ injuries, due to the police brutality, are making him unable to work.
“They just tortured this… father sitting next to me,” said Maupin.
The money is based on $2.5 million for each family member.
Like we said, this story is making folks’ blood boil. Oh, and for what it’s worth, Phoenix’s police chief, who happens to be a black woman named Jeri Williams posted a video statement to Facebook, saying she is “making contact” with the couple. She adds: “like you, I’m disturbed by the language and action of our officer,” saying the incident is “not representative of the majority” of the police department.
All it takes is ONE, Chief Williams. Just one. But the video shows your department has more than one who’s more than willing to go into a-hole mode.
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