By: Trever McKenzie ~Staff Writer~
For many members of the Black community, a police encounter gone wrong is a prominent, shared fear. However, one Black man in Paris, identified only as Théo, was subject to this situation when four police officers assaulted him physically and sexually after he confronted them for slapping another young individual during an identity check on Feb. 2.
Video evidence supported many of Théo’s claims about the assault: He said that he was spit on, struck in the genitals, called names like “bitch” and “negro” and penetrated with a police baton.
Three of the officers involved were charged with aggravated assault and one was charged with rape. The police have disputed claims of rape by saying that Théo’s pants “slipped down on their own” after he received “a truncheon blow horizontally across the buttocks,” a stance that has been supported by an investigation by French National Police, who released a statement acknowledging that penetration occurred but said that it was not intentional.
In response to both the incident itself and the investigation results, large protests have been staged in the Aulnay-sous-Bois suburb and nearby areas.
The protests resulted in cars being set on fire and several arrests. Théo has spoken out against the destructive actions, asking the protestors to remain non-violent.
The hashtag #JusticeForTheo trended on Twitter. Many people expressed displeasure at the incident.
“Police brutality is not just an issue in the us [sic],” Twitter user @obviouslysascha wrote. “Please do not ignore this horrible crime.”
Others said the investigation was inaccurate.
“Please do not let this go unnoticed,” Twitter user @lgbtllodge wrote. “he deserves justice for this cruelty that they labelled as ‘accident’. Speak out. [sic]”
Many individuals and groups have been protesting police brutality in the past few years. In December of 2015, former Oklahoma City Police Department patrol officer Daniel Holtzclaw was found guilty of 18 counts of rape, sexual battery and forced oral sex against 13 African- American women. Following his conviction, he was sentenced to 263 years in prison. In response to a lack of media and activist coverage of the case, OKC Artists for Justice was formed by two Oklahoma women to give more attention to the case.
“This is not OK. You cannot let a man who attacked and raped 13 women, per the charges, go home…. while those women are still in fear,” Grace Franklin, cofounder of the group, in response to Holtzclaw’s bail being lowered from $5 million to $500 thousand, said.
At the same time, sites like justicefordanielholtzclaw.com are speaking out in favor of the Holtzclaw, saying that the investigation was improperly handled.
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