An Atlanta police officer has been assigned to desk duty for body-slamming a Black female dental hygienist.
A video of 24-year-old Amber Jackson being body-slammed and manhandled by an Atlanta police officer, has gone viral. The incident took place in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood on May 30, while police were paroling the area for looters and rioters. When they came across Jackson moving a barricade nearby, police stopped her in her car and forcibly removed her from the vehicle after a struggle.
“He attempted to get her out of the car, and the two struggled. During her effort, to resist the arrest, the officer had to force her to the ground to get her in handcuffs,” said police in a written statement. “The police then comes in and slams me, yanks me out of the car, and slams me down. My shoulder is broken. My clavicle is fractured,” Jackson explained to Atlanta’s 11 Alive.
The victim said the incident erupted over her attempt to move the barricade from in front of her car so she could drive home. Jackson was not arrested, but she was cited for disorderly conduct. “Our young people who are courageously and correctly demanding an end to police brutality are being brutalized in the street where it is their right to protest. We need a change in police culture,” said Mawuli Davis, Jackson’s lawyer.
“I hope you look at it. Because they’re literally dragging this girl all over the place and throwing her down like a piece of trash,” said local activist Derrick Boazman, urging people to witness the continued police brutality. Jackson left with a broken shoulder and fractured clavicle.
The incident is being investigated by the Department’s Office of Professional Standards to determine if he violated any department procedures.
