By Bob Walsh
Back in 2014 Monique Tillman, then 15, happened to be riding her bicycle while black thru the parking lot of a shopping mall in the Seattle-Tacoma area when she was “pulled over” by a Tacoma P D officer working as private security for the mall.
The girl and her brother, one year older than she, were heading for home from a fast food restaurant on May 24, and cut across the Tacoma Mall parking lot.
The officer, Jarden Williams, (who is white) asserted that they were creating a disturbance and trespassing. The cops have been unable or unwilling to say exactly what that disturbance was.
When Officer Williams took out his notebook Ms. Tillman attempted to ride away. She was immediately grabbed by Officer Williams. The situation went sideways and the officer ended up throwing her to the ground and zapping her. By this time several other people, mall security guards and not cops, showed up and interacted with the brother.
Ms. Tillman was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and obstructing, though these charges were dropped.
She and her family are now suing everybody in the state over the whole mess. One of the things being looked at is the appropriateness of using police officers in uniform and driving department vehicles as private security and what official department review, if any, happens when officers are involved in “off-duty” use of force incidents.
EDITOR’S Note: And I hope the girl’s family prevails in their lawsuit … big time!
No comments:
Post a Comment