“They dragged me out of the car like I was a dog, like I was garbage.” So Clifford Owensby, a 39-year-old African-American paraplegic, accused police officers who last month dragged him, pulling by the hair and arms, out of his car during a checkup, as shown by a video that has become a new viral indictment of US police violence against African Americans.
Backed by NAACP, Owensby accused the Dayton, Ohio Police Department of stopping him just for his race, so-called ‘profiling’, illegally arresting him, and illegally raiding his vehicle. He was also not notified of his rights prior to his arrest.
Only on Friday did the police released the 12-minute video of the operation that dates back to September 30, when officers arrested the man, who has a history of drugs and possession of weapons, after he left a house under suspicion. drug trafficking. Based on Owensby’s track record, the agents get permission to search the vehicle and order the man to leave the car.
When Owensby tells them he is paralyzed and needs assistance getting out of the car, the agents say he “either cooperates and gets out of the car or they will drag him out.” And that’s what then happened, as shown in the video in which the officers are seen grabbing the paraplegic by the arms and hair to drag him out and then push him to the ground, immobilizing him.
No weapons or drugs were found in the search, but an envelope was seized with $ 22,450 that the man claims to be his savings. Police said they did not indict Owensby for drugs, but for resisting arrest. “I have nightmares, I don’t want to leave the house every day thinking that something like this could happen to me again,” said the African American.