By Arré Bench Jun. 05, 2020
It’s ironic but across the US, the police are trying to curb protests against their brutality with… even more brutality. A shocking video of cops in New York shoving an old man to the ground causing him to bleed has gone viral.
Protests in the US against the brutal police killing of George Floyd have reached their 10th day. It’s ironic then that in many places, the police are trying to quell protests against their brutality with… even more brutality. The journalists covering the protests as well as the people on the ground capturing events through their smartphones have been filming shocking incidents of violence by the police. Viewers in India will have a throwback to the violent riots that erupted in Delhi this February, where the police were captured on CCTV and smartphone cameras destroying property and assaulting protestors. The latest shocking video to emerge from the US protests depicts police officers in riot gear shoving an elderly man to the ground, causing him to bleed from an apparent head wound.
Just about an hour ago, police officers shove man in Niagara Square to the ground (WARNING: Graphic). Video from: @MikeDesmondWBFO pic.twitter.com/JBKQLvzfET
— WBFO (@WBFO) June 5, 2020
The video was captured by a local station in Buffalo, New York, and caused a wave of outrage to spread among those who saw it. In the video, the elderly man, who reports are claiming is 75 years old, approaches a line of police officers, who order him to get back, before two of them push him back, with one of them using his police baton to do so. The old man stumbles before falling back and cracking his head on the sidewalk, and lies there motionless as blood pools beneath his head. The police continue to march past his prone body. And even though the incident was captured on video, a spokesperson for the Buffalo police department released a statement saying the man tripped and fell.
Spokesperson for Buffalo PD says the man tripped and fell.
The video clearly shows Officer Aaron Torgalski shoving him to the ground.
Now do you get what we’ve been saying about the police being too violent? pic.twitter.com/qs6Mv0hOGk
— Simran Jeet Singh (@SikhProf) June 5, 2020
The mayor of Buffalo condemned the disturbing incident. He said he would be speaking to Buffalo’s police commissioner about the conduct of the cops. Meanwhile, the elderly man was taken to a hospital, where the mayor said he was in a serious condition.
UPDATE: The mayor of Buffalo says the 75-year-old man shoved by cops is in serious condition.
Two officers have been suspended without pay.https://t.co/k0whqyo3qj
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) June 5, 2020
As the backlash to the video continued to grow, it became clear that it was imperative to take some action. Shortly after the video went viral, the two police officers involved in the altercation were suspended without pay.
Two police officers in Buffalo, New York, were suspended after shoving a protester in this incident that was caught on video. An official said the man was hospitalized with a head injury.
The video contains vulgarity and disturbing images. https://t.co/A2Q92yP65q pic.twitter.com/DXq54eDZN8
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 5, 2020
The sad part about the incident is that it appears to be the very same neighbourhood where police were filmed taking a knee in solidarity with protesters earlier, lending credence to theory that these shows of support from the police are just lip service, as some had claimed earlier.
in the same spot where the video from buffalo was shot, cops were taking a knee yesterday. that’s why I don’t want to hear a fucking word about police showing solidarity for the protestors. a fucking word! pic.twitter.com/VUGaUHCeb5
— keyvan (کیوان) (@shafieikeyvan) June 5, 2020
The 75-year-old had come out onto the streets to protest police brutality, but unfortunately became yet another victim of it.
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