Martese Johnson did nothing to deserve his brutal treatment at the hands of Virginia's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, according to eyewitness accounts in The Cavalier Daily and other media outlets.
The University of Virginia undergraduate was reportedly slammed to the pavement and pinned down by arresting officers early Wednesday morning outside a bar in Charlottesville. Photos taken during the incident show a Martese bleeding from his head.
As reported in The Root, UVA officials have raised serious concerns:
“The student required medical evaluation and treatment at the UVA Hospital Emergency Department. This was wrong and should not have occurred. In the many years of our medical, professional and leadership roles at the University, we view the nature of this assault as highly unusual and appalling based on the information we have received.
The University and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe have called for an independent investigation of the incident, and hundreds turned out Wednesday to protest Johnson's treatment."
Martese Johnson deserves justice. Public safety requires community trust in our law enforcement officers, and that means accountability for law enforcement officials who do wrong.
Please sign the petition now and call for officers involved in the initial incident to be dismissed and subject to criminal charges should the state's investigation find evidence of excessive force and/or racism.
Attorney General Herring:
I am deeply concerned by reports of excessive force in the arrest of UVA student and Honor Committee Member Martese Johnson.
Johnson was reportedly slammed to the pavement and pinned down by arresting officers early Wednesday March 18th outside a bar in Charlottesville. Photos taken during the incident show a Martese bleeding from his head.
As you know, the governor and the university have called for an independent investigation of the incident. Should the state's investigation find evidence of excessive force and/or racism, I ask that you do everything in your power to see to it that call the officers involved in the initial incident to be dismissed and subject to criminal charges.
Martese Johnson deserves justice, and public safety requires community trust in our law enforcement officers. Both require accountability for law enforcement officials who do wrong.
[Your comments]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
