10,000 signatures reached
To: Saraland, Alabama Police Department
Justice Now for Chikesia Clemons! Hold Saraland, AL Police Department Accountable
SIGN THE PETITION, STAND WITH BLACK WOMEN, STAND WITH CHIKESIA
1. We demand the review and revision of all Use of Force Policies used by Saraland, AL Police Department and all Mobile County Police Departments to align with Campaign Zero solutions: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/force/
2. We demand the institution of continual implicit bias training for all officers.
3. We demand the termination of officers who violate the revised use of force policies.
4. We demand that Saraland, AL PD release of the names of and fire the offending officers involved in Chikesia Clemon's abuse.
5. Pursuant to federal action, we demand all Saraland Police Officers obtain and wear body cameras in alignment with the rest of Mobile County and establish governance for their use according to peer-reviewed solutions: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/film-the-police/
6. We demand an independent and external investigation into the case of Chikesia Clemons as well as an investigation of a potential pattern of racial bias from the Saraland Police Department.
7. Dismiss all charges against Chikesia Clemons stemming from her assault at the Saraland, AL Waffle House.
Why is this important?
As Black Women who are tired of our sisters being abused and treated as invisible, we thought it imperative to stand in solidarity with local activists in Alabama to demand #JUSTICEFORCHIKESIA
The Saraland Police Department needs to address their conduct in a substantive manner instead of trafficking in anti-Blackness to excuse racist officers. Video from that morning of April 22, 2018, showed Chikesia Clemons being slammed to the floor by police officers and brutalized to the point that her body was indecently exposed. We know the conduct of Saraland Police Department officers seen in Canita Adams's video too often leads to a fatal outcome for Black men and women. We are demanding action. Join us today to demand reform from of the Saraland Police Department.
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As more information comes out about the Sunday, April 22, 2018, arrest of Chikesia Clemons at a Waffle House in Saraland, Alabama, reports began to contradict each other.
Video from that morning showed the victim being slammed to the floor by police officers and brutalized to the point her body was exposed. Since then, Waffle House has issued a statement in support of the officer's actions and activists are urging for more national press and outrage over Clemons' violent treatment by police. Here's what else you should know about the case:
1. Police Were Called Over $0.50 Utensils
At a Saraland, Alabama Waffle House on April 22 at 2:45 a.m., 25-year-old Mobile resident Chikesia Clemons was wrestled to the ground and threatened by police during an arrest over 50 cent-cutlery. Blavity reported the victim told an employee that she did not previously have to pay the extra 50 cents for the four utensils. But the employee insisted that she had to pay. Then, the Waffle House employee reportedly canceled Clemons' order and police were called out after Clemons asked for the Waffle House district manager's contact information.
2. Police Were Reportedly Told Clemons And Her Friends Were Drunk, Had A Gun
Officers were called at 2:30 a.m. by an employee who said a manager told them to call about two black females and one black male who had entered the Waffle House with alcohol. The trio was told they could not drink at the restaurant and allegedly responded belligerently prior to the call. There were reports claiming that the two women were threatening to “shoot this place up.” According to The Washington Post, surveillance cam footage showed Clemons and another woman at a table and they were joined by an unidentified man.
3. Eyewitness Accounts Dispell The Claims
AL.com reports two witnesses said in their eyewitness statements that Clemons did not appear to be inebriated as previous accounts claimed. She was speaking clearly before and after officers arrived on the scene, refuting more claims that Clemons was slurring her speech. The witnesses also said that police immediately confronted Clemons as they entered the restaurant.
"I would have promptly left if there had been a mention of a weapon," said one woman in her statement.
4. Backlash Came Swift Against Waffle House
Protests broke mere hours after the incident. Many called for a national boycott of the famous breakfast restaurant chain. In response, the company released a statement supporting the three Saraland Police officers. "After reviewing our security video of the incident and eyewitness accounts, police intervention was appropriate," the statement said. Family attorney Benjamin Crump called the incident racially motivated and called for a boycott of that particular restaurant.
5. The Security Videos Aren't Reliable
Video shot by friend Canita Adams shows that Clemons was sitting down prior to being slammed to the floor by officers. In that short clip, Clemons can be heard asking police officers, “What are you doing?” as they slammed her down to the floor. One officer responds, “I’m about to break your arm, that’s what I'm about to do.”
One of the officers had their hands around the victim's neck.
Security footage presented at a press conference yesterday did not have audio and showed footage from three different angles. It only showed Clemons and her friends enter the restaurant and leaving after she had been arrested, AL reports.
Visit Blavity to Learn More (https://blavity.com/6-things-everyone-should-know-about-chikesia-clemons-arrest-at-a-waffle-house-in-alabama)
Sign the petition and Stand With Us,
Brittany Packnett, Kristi Henderson, Angela Rye, and Stefanie Brown James