We love us some consequences and repercussions but this is kinda weak sauce.
BOSSIP initially reported on this case back in August when the viral video tumbled down every timeline on every social media outlet in the multiverse. A Black man and his family having dinner at Applebee’s were wrongly accosted by Kenosha police, who suspected them of being involved in a hit-and-run accident. Things went left when two overly aggressive officers attempted to physically subdue 24-year-old Jermelle English Jr. while he was holding his infant child. During the arrest, English was struck numerous times. Officers also arrested English’s partner and the child’s mother, Shanya Boyd, along with five others who were standing nearby.
According to a Kenosha News report, those boys in blue, Officer Luke Courtier and Officer Michael Vences, have been temporarily suspended for their actions that day. Vences was suspended for four days. His striking of English was ruled “reasonable,” but he should have considered other approaches. Courtier was suspended for 10 days as he was found guilty of failing to render medical aid to Boyd after dousing her in pepper spray and writing a subpar police report about the incident.
A statement from the Kenosha Police Department reads in part:
“The Kenosha Police Department is committed to providing the highest quality service to its citizens and guests. We strive to train our officers to the highest standard and will hold them accountable if they fall short of those standards.”
Prior to the news going public, Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton released a video on social media with the likely intent of keeping people’s heads cool.
Local activists aren’t here for the department’s platitudes. Executive Director of Leaders of Kenosha Tanya McLean says that the family was humiliated by the public arrest and unnecessary use of force. Moreover, she states that the two officers had not a lick of evidence or probable cause outside of the restaurant manager’s phone call. The manager who wasn’t involved in the hit-and-run accident in the first damn place.
“At the end of the day there was still no de-escalation. The situation was handled poorly,” McLean said, adding she believes the couple had no reason to speak with officers when questioned about a hit-and-run. “All they had to do was sit there and enjoy their meals as paying patrons of a restaurant. … At the end of the day a family was harmed.”
This type of f***ery seems to be par for the course for Applebee’s locations in Kenosha…
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