Footage Showing Rochester Police Pepper Spraying Black Mother With Her Toddler Surfaces

Video footage of a Rochester police officer taking a Black woman to the ground in front of her 3-year old and then pepper spraying her while she held her child’s hand has recently been released.

The encounter took place on Feb. 22 by Clifford and Portland Ave. The police were called to the area because somebody reported a theft from Rte Aid. The police then encountered the woman and child on the sidewalk where she denied stealing anything.

The body cam footage indicated that she partially emptied her purse when questioned by police. Then, when the officer isn’t paying full attention she ran away carrying her child.

The chase ended outside MoJoe’s Take Out when the woman was forcibly taken to the ground.

You can hear the child crying and when the woman gets up to go to her daughter, she gets pepper sprayed and taken down again. The woman eventually is forced to let go of her child.

The Police Accountability Board commented on the event, saying:

“These disturbing incidents prove that the Rochester Police Department needs to fundamentally change its organizational culture. These incidents also affirm our community’s call to fundamentally reimagine public safety.”

Source:
Democrat & Chronicle