Un fucking believable.
Tremaine McMillan talks to the press while his mother looks on.
Tremaine is being charged with felony resisting arrest with violence and disorderly conduct. FELONY resisting arrest. FOR LOOKING AT THE POLICE OFFICERS WRONG. WHILE HOLDING A PUPPY. The Public Defender has asked the court for a reduced charge, but the Judge instead set a trial date.
Quoting the original news report:
"Police say McMillan refused repeated requests to take them to his parents, giving them dehumanizing stares and walking away, before they had to restrain him.
Once he's approaching the roadway, they grab him, and once his body language of stiffening up, closing his fists, flaring his hands, trying to pull away, well now you're resisting an officer at this point.
Police intervened when a teen "slammed" another teen into the sand on Haulover Beach, on memorial day.
Tremaine McMillan's puppy was injured and his back was bruised when police tackled him to the ground on Haulover Beach. They broke up the roughhousing, and then followed Tremaine, who was walking away. His "body language" and "dehumanizing stares" provoked the police to slap a six week old puppy out of his hands, tackle him, and choke him.
A Miami Police Officer chokes 14-year-old Tremaine McMillan
As a 14 year old, I have taken part in similar roughhousing on beaches like Haulover beach. I've gone swimming at Haulover beach.. There is nothing wrong with teenagers roughhousing on the beach! That's the PERFECT place to roughhouse and wrestle, and blow off some steam because if you fall over, you fall onto SAND. You are not Hurt!
This is what young men, especially those who are around the age of 14, do! This is what I did!
And the police got concerned and broke it up. Okay, I understand that too.
But the roughhousing is NOT the reason that the police gave for tackling the teen. According to their own spokesman, it was because of dirty looks and clenched fists.
I didn't deserve to get tackled by the Miami PD for roughhousing when I was a boy, and neither did this young man. I wouldn't have deserved to be tackled if I clenched my fists and was upset with the police.
Polo's paw was injured in the attack.
But for the police to slap a six year old puppy out of his hands and then choke this young man and force him into handcuffs because of his body language? On memorial day?! Because of the fact that he looked at them funny? While holding a 6-week old puppy?!
This is absurd. This is absolutely unacceptable.
I am beside myself right now.
Shame on you, Miami PD!
H/t to alternet which has the full news video.
A second H/t to JPMassar for catching something I missed in my fury at this situation.
4:06 PM PT: Here's the youtube video. Another tip of the hat to JPMassar.
8:34 PM PT: Thank you for having this young man's back.
I was afraid this diary was going to be buried.
I hope this young man's story gets traction, because he doesn't deserve this..