A Vermont mother has filed a lawsuit alleging that police used excessive force and discriminated against her unarmed Black son with behavioral and intellectual disabilities.

What happened next that evening in May 2021 is the basis for a lawsuit by the mother alleging that Burlington police used excessive force and discriminated against her unarmed son, who is Black and has behavioral and intellectual disabilities.

After he failed to hand over the last of the stolen e-cigarettes, two officers physically forced him to do so, then Cathy Austrian’s son was handcuffed and pinned to the ground as he screamed and struggled, according to a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday and police body-camera video shared with The Associated Press by the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont.

The teen eventually was injected with a ketamine, a sedative, then taken to a hospital, according to the lawsuit and video.

    • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
      0·
      10 months ago

      She mistakenly thought that calling the cops to talk to her child about not stealing would help him understand why it’s wrong and what the stakes are. She’s an old white woman. She didn’t realize that cops wouldn’t treat her large, black child as subhuman.

      She was stupid and ignorant, but the cops are the monsters here. Don’t get it twisted with your own relationships with your parents. This isn’t that.

      • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
        0·
        10 months ago

        Insanely weird to project your parental issues on a lady calling the cops on her adopted black child, but being old is not an excuse for not being aware of the century long issue of cops treating black people poorly.

          • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
            0·
            10 months ago

            ???

            There was no “no u” here.

            Are you whiny about the fact that they projected their parental issues onto anyone who correctly judged the idiot for calling the cops? Thats their projection, that they said.

            Correctly noting the idiot should have known better about the older-than-her issue of cops beating black folk for the sin of being black has nothing to do with anyones parents.

            Telling someone not to project their problems isnt a “no u,” but its cute your best retort was to brag about how poorly you read.

            • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
              0·
              10 months ago

              Cops brutalize a child. All your energy is being spent complaining about mommy. How IS your mom doing these days anyway? 🤣

              • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
                0·
                10 months ago

                All my energy? Are you bed ridden? It does not take energy to point out you shouldnt call the cops on black children for not real problems.

                And… Bud? Do you think that mild criticism of a single person means Im not criticizing the cops? Whats this limp dick whataboutism shit youre trying to pull?

                Do you need help? The brain fog seems to really be dragging you down.