Video footage has surfaced on social media of Maplewood, Minnesota, police officers placing four minor children in handcuffs for “fitting the description.” The incident happened earlier this month.
According to Shaun King’s caption on the video posted to his Instagram, the police allegedly heard gunshots. Officers approached a group of “young black boys and girls that were literally just eating at McDonald’s.” Between 10 and 16-years-old, the kids were falsely accused of having a gun.
Officers held the children for about 40 minutes before releasing them. Some of the parents dispute the officers’ claim that it was only 40 minutes and allege that it was closer to two hours.
Police officers brought the dogs out and placed the kids in handcuffs. When the kids were searched, no evidence of them having a gun was found.
One of the children’s mothers, Toshira Garraway Allen, captured the incident on video.
“It might seem small to them, putting kids in handcuffs and throwing them in the back of their car,” Garraway Allen said in a video posted to her IG. “It might seem small to them. This could go on with them — they could think about this for the rest of their life.”
Garraway is a local activist and Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence founder. She is now demanding that the department make changes when it comes to detaining and handcuffing children.
In his video, King says, “America should thank us every day for not burning this whole place down the way we are treated.”
He continued, “White folk stormed the WHOLE ASS CAPITOL when their candidate lost an election.”
