Netizens have criticized the actions of Baltimore police officers who were seen in a video handcuffing a 13-year-old Black girl after she got into a fight with an older white woman who was unrestrained.
The video has sparked claims of racism and a public outcry over the apparent discrepancy in police treatment, according to Know Your Rights Camp.
As the young girl was being detained by officers, a bystander remarked, “Are you serious?”
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The video showed about ten police officers on Baltimore’s waterfront interviewing the handcuffed teen, while the older woman freely talked with a single officer merely yards away.
The woman who was supposedly the victim could be heard telling authorities, “She broke my thing,” holding up a wallet with credit cards falling out, as well as sunglasses that looked broken, though what the girl supposedly broke was unclear.
Throughout the video, the young girl appears calm and compliant, despite being questioned by multiple officers. Witnesses expressed their dissatisfaction with the scenario, with one instructing the girl not to talk until her mother arrived.
CongoLarry, the TikTok user who filmed the video, described the incident as an example of “white privilege.”
He recounted the experience with a caption on the video stating, “Baltimore police put a 13yr old black girl in cuffs when her and a older white lady got into an altercation but they did not even attempt to cuff the white lady and they questioned the child without her parents present.”
Social media erupted with anger, with comments like “this angered me to my soul” pouring in and others calling for responsibility in the Baltimore Police Department’s response.
Six minutes into the video, an officer finally removes the handcuffs and allows the teen to make a phone call. Bystanders can be heard voicing their anger toward the woman involved, with one saying, “You antagonized her. Why did you antagonize that kid?”
About 10 minutes later, the crowd began to disperse, but the sour taste of the incident lingered.
The event has called into question the officers’ conduct, particularly in light of Maryland’s 2022 Child Interrogation Protection Act which, according to FoxBaltimore, forbids officers from interrogating minors without parental consent or legal representation.
Observers remarked that officers appeared to completely disregard this law when they questioned the kid while handcuffed.
Calls for a review of the case have continued on social media as the video sparked renewed debate about police practices, especially those involving minors of color.
The lack of charges against the girl and her eventual release to her mother have fueled the ongoing discussion surrounding police handling and the perception of racial bias in cases involving juveniles.
