A frantic and scared mom, Latasha Nelson, in Arlington, Texas recorded video of her 14 year old son’s arrest; an arrest based on zero evidence. The activist group Next Generation Action Network posted the mom’s video on Facebook along with the commentary:

“A frantic mother watches in horror as Arlington Police Department assault and arrest her two teenage sons. Based upon absolutely no evidence whatsoever, the 14 year-old (Trayvon) was charged with burglary of a habitation and the 16 year-old was charged with interfering with official police duties. The mother was assured that the charges against her boys would be dropped. But only if she surrendered this video to the police.”

In the video the Mom appears frantic and worried about the police’s apprehension of her son. Yet, the police refuse to help her and let her know where her son is being taken. The police were investigating a report of a vehicle burglary and the woman’s teenage son matched the description, as black boys tend to always “match the description”. However according to Dallas News, Dominique Alexander, founder of the activist group, said at a news conference there was no evidence Trayvon was involved. “They just picked the first one that they saw that was black and that had a backpack on,” Alexander said.

Nelson, the boy’s mom, says things were calm when she first arrived but then they escalated. She claims the officers went through her son’s backpack and found a Bible. The officer then asked her son if it was his and when the boy said yes, she claims the officer “smirked and threw the Bible to the ground”. From there things escalated.

The video on the Next Generation Activist Network’s page doesn’t show the beginning of the encounter. What it does show is a mom following her son, who is handcuffed, to the police car they place him in. Her voice is clearly distressed and scared and when she asks where her son is being taken the officer refuses to answer and claims she is being uncooperative. Good policing would look like a police officer calming a mom down and letting her know where they are taking her son. They’d inform her that they are going to ask him a few questions then let him go if nothing is found. Instead, the police officer clearly dismisses the mom’s anxiety and abuses his power by threatening rather than helping her.

What happened to community policing and to protect and to serve? Yes, there are good police out there but yes there is also a culture of police that treats citizens as enemies of the state to be controlled and detained. I’m a white woman and I see a police officer and it feels like a threat. Living in a world where the cops and citizens view each others as enemies only creates increased hostility and violence between the two. Police need to step out and renounce police violence, re-assure people that they are sworn to serve and protect. It’s on the police to step up and re-assure Americans we don’t live in a police state.

Pssst, while you're here...

Next Generation posted the following call to action:

CALL TO ACTION: Please call Arlington Police Department to demand that all charges be dropped immediately and that they return the mother’s cell phone and Terminate Arlington Police Officer Chad Haning Call Now:

Command Staff

Arlington Police Chief

Will D. Johnson

817-459-5702

Deputy Chief South District

Jim Lowery

817-459-6464

#EnoughIsEnough

#JusticeForAll

#NGAN