The Lexington-Fayette County Branch 3097 of the NAACP addresses police abuse of protesters and their leaders in Lexington. Letters written to the Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Council, and the President of the Fraternal Order of Police urged these responsible officials to remedy police wrongdoing and noted the following:
1. Both the Police Department and the FOP in Lexington are unprofessionally and illegally retaliating against leaders of recent Black Lives Matter and Police Reform Protests.
2. Police Officers have overreached in arresting leaders of the local First Amendment movements for violations of the law that do not merit arrest.
3. Police in Lexington have abused their authority by weaponizing body cameras that were purchased with tax dollars and are the property of the city, not the property of individual officers in the FOP. The camera footage is being misused by police and the FOP to further an improper political agenda and misrepresent facts.
4. As police take steps to address protesters, officers fail to protect the public from corona virus by disregarding their obligation to wear masks.
5. Though the Chief of Police had claimed that his officers to not routinely use choke holds, the police cameras and passersby's cell phones caught officers using choke holds in an unnecessary show of force against First Amendment protesters despite the fact that no one's life was in danger.
For questions: Contact Dr. Shambra Mulder, Executive Committee Member, Lexington-Fayette NAACP Branch 3097: shambramulder@hotmail.com, (859) 252-7336.
Click HERE to access story in the Lexington Herald-Leader.
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