The deaf man needed to use the bathroom. He went into store bathroom. The store management called the police. Why? Is it illegal for a Black man to use a public restroom in Alabama?
The family of 37-year-old Antonio Love has filed a formal complaint over the incident.
Police spokesman Christopher Levy says police didn’t realize Love had a hearing impairment until after he was out of the bathroom. The officers’ conduct is under investigation.
Love was tased three times. He said police didn't realize he was deaf until they got him outside the store. That's when they looked in his wallet and found a card detailing his handicap. Love said an EMT was dispatched, and after he was checked out, he was then put into the back of a police car and taken to Metro jail where he sat until police finally took him home later that afternoon.
The incident happened around 11:00 a.m., and when he was returned home, it was 4:00 in the afternoon. He was never arrested. Love's mom doesn't understand.
"He asked them to stop. He tried to say, 'I'm deaf. I'm deaf,' and they still did it. Looking at my son now it hurts. I just want justice. I want them to pay for what they did to my son," said Phyllis Love.Villager's View: I'm looking through the use of force continuum and it seems that the police didn't need to use 50,000 volts of taser juice on this deaf man in the bathroom. Why are police officers so taser-happy in America?
What say u?
