In #Bridgewater, #NewJersey, a settlement was reached between the town and the family of Z'Kye Husain, a Black teenager, following a widely criticized incident in 2022 at the Bridgewater Commons Mall.
The incident, which was captured on video and went viral, showed police officers forcibly subduing 14-year-old Husain during a fight with another teenager while the other participant, who appeared to be white but was later identified as Hispanic, was not handcuffed and allowed to sit on a chair. The disparity in treatment sparked accusations of racial bias and led to an internal affairs investigation.
Husain's family, represented by attorney Ben Crump, emphasized the incident as indicative of a broader issue of racial bias in policing, suggesting that Black individuals are often prematurely deemed aggressors or suspects by law enforcement.
"That's how they see our children far too often as predators," he said.
Despite the settlement, the incident has fueled further mistrust between the police and the community, with civil rights leaders and the #NAACP rallying for transparency, improved training for officers, and the release of the state attorney general's report on the incident. The NAACP plans to initiate a training program for police officers in New Jersey to foster better relations between law enforcement and the Black community.
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Link: ABC7NY
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