RantCrush Top 5: July 13, 2017

In June, a police officer responded to a call from the staff at a gas station in Dekalb County, Georgia, regarding a homeless woman who was asking for money. The officer pinned her to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested her. He was briefly investigated for his use of force, but was cleared at the time. Now video footage has surfaced, after the son of a woman who witnessed the incident posted it online. The homeless woman, Katie McCrary, can be heard asking, “What did I do?” as the officer hits her dozens of times with his baton, several times over the head. He then says, “I’ll shoot you if you don’t stop,” as she is trying to shield herself from his blows.

“I will shoot you if you don’t stop”
This is disgusting footage out of Atlanta. Enough is enough! #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/iUAZDYBtBe

— People For Bernie (@People4Bernie) July 10, 2017

Over the weekend, the police department saw the video and the officer, P.J. Larscheid, has been placed on administrative leave. “It’s not that we’re saying he did something wrong. We’re just looking at the video to make sure that it aligns with his original statement,” a spokesperson for the police department said. Witnesses said they know McCrary, as she often asks for money around the gas station, and that it’s well known that she suffers from a mental illness. “She wouldn’t lash out at anybody. She was just trying to figure out what she did, to get what she got,” the witness who filmed the incident, Stacy Zachery, said.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.