Outrage has spread over a TikTok video showing a 13-year-old Black girl from Baltimore in handcuffs after an altercation with an older white woman, who remained unrestrained. The video, posted on Oct. 13, has amassed nearly 1,400 shares, capturing the disparity in police handling.
"Are you serious?" a woman at the scene shouted as the officers restrained the young girl. In the video, about 10 Baltimore officers are seen on the city's waterfront. The teen, calm but cuffed, was questioned by multiple officers while the woman involved in the altercation was nearby, talking freely with a single officer. The woman claimed, "She broke my thing," holding up a wallet with credit cards spilling out, but it was unclear what the girl allegedly broke.
Onlookers questioned the handling of the situation, with one person advising the girl not to speak until her mother arrived. Six minutes later, an officer finally removed the handcuffs, allowing her to make a phone call. In the video, a bystander directed anger towards the woman, saying, "You antagonized her. Why did you antagonize that kid?" After 10 minutes, the crowd started dispersing, but frustration over the incident lingered.
TikTok user CongoLarry, who recorded the video, expressed his frustration, calling it an example of "white privilege." He recapped, "They put a 13-year-old in handcuffs, and the white woman jumped on her. They were both in an altercation. They put the 13-year-old Black girl in handcuffs, and her, just standing there."
The incident drew heavy criticism online. "This angered me to my soul," one viewer commented, with others expressing disbelief and disapproval of the police response. Another asked, "Why are they talking to her without an adult? Why is this child in handcuffs?"
Maryland's 2022 Child Interrogation Protection Act states that police cannot question juveniles without a lawyer present or parental notification, raising questions about the officers' conduct. However, prosecutors argue the law hampers their ability to hold young offenders accountable and has pushed for changes.
Link: Atlanta Black Star