老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana鈥檚 Justice Lab Sues St. Tammany Deputies for Choking a Black Woman Over False Traffic Violation
Video of attack shows deputy pressing the woman鈥檚 face into the ground, threatening to Taser her child
NEW ORLEANS 鈥 As part of its , the 老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana, alongside Reid Collins & Tsai LLP, has on behalf of Teliah Perkins, a Black woman from Slidell, Louisiana, against two St. Tammany Parish Sheriff鈥檚 Office deputies for violently arresting Ms. Perkins at her own home in response to a minor traffic violation she didn鈥檛 commit. During the attack, 鈥攁nd first uploaded by Louisiana United International鈥檚 Predatory Policing Program鈥擠eputies Kyle Hart and Ryan Moring violently seized Teliah Perkins by the arms and forced her to the ground, pressing her face into the pavement and digging their knees and elbows into her back and legs. Deputy Hart kept Ms. Perkins pinned to the ground and pressed his forearm into her windpipe as she gasped 鈥測ou鈥檙e choking me!鈥
鈥淎gain and again, we鈥檝e watched countless Black people be targeted, abused, and killed by those who have taken an oath to protect and serve us鈥攐ften as a result of a routine traffic violation or another low-level offense,鈥 said 老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana Executive Director Alanah Odoms. 鈥淭his constant and systemic devaluation of Black lives is exhausting and unacceptable. We need Black people to be given the basic right to exist without fear of being brutalized, harassed, or gunned down by the cops. That鈥檚 why the 老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana began our Justice Lab initiative鈥攖o get to the root of these issues and make systemic changes there.
鈥淎lmost a year since we watched George Floyd cry out 鈥業 can鈥檛 breathe鈥 as he was murdered by police officers, it鈥檚 clear that we cannot simply reform the institution of policing, which was built on slavery and Black pain. The horrifying ordeal Ms. Perkins endured at the hands of police is a textbook example of why we need drastic, long-term changes in our approach to public safety, once and for all. Mr. Floyd鈥檚 life matters. Ms. Perkins鈥 life matters. We will do everything we can to turn their stories into action, and we will never stop working to dismantle police violence and impunity in our state.鈥
On May 5, 2020, Deputies Hart and Moring drove to Ms. Perkins鈥 residential street in response to an anonymous complaint of someone operating a motorcycle in a dangerous manner. After extended questioning, during which Ms. Perkins assured the deputies that she had not committed any traffic violations, the deputies stormed onto Ms. Perkins鈥 property and arrested her. Ms. Perkins鈥 young son recorded the incident on his phone. In an unconstitutional attempt to stop the recording, Deputy Moring blocked the camera鈥檚 view of Ms. Perkins, and drew his Taser, pointing it directly at the 14-year-old, who objected: 鈥測ou can鈥檛 Tase a child.鈥 Deputy Moring responded: 鈥渨atch me.鈥
Historically, police officers disproportionately target Black people for minor violations, which is what happened to Ms. Perkins. Additionally, Black women are to be killed by law enforcement while unarmed.
Following the arrest, Ms. Perkins required emergency room treatment for her injuries and continues to receive physical and occupational therapy. She has had to give up her job as a home care provider because she is in too much pain to perform her duties. And although the traffic citations have been dismissed, she is now being prosecuted for resisting arrest, a baseless, felony charge that arises out of her unlawful arrest and is being used to justify the deputies鈥 use of excessive force.
鈥淢s. Perkins is one of too many Black people who endure excessive force by police, only to face criminal charges stemming from that very same incident,鈥 said 老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana Legal Director Nora Ahmed. 鈥淟aw enforcement officers commonly use 鈥榗over charges,鈥 such as resisting arrest, to justify their use of unreasonable and excessive force against people of color. As a result, Black people like Ms. Perkins not only suffer from the physical and psychological trauma of police violence, but they must also confront a criminal legal system that views them not as victims, but as criminals, resulting in long-lasting barriers to employment, housing, and education.鈥
鈥淢s. Perkins鈥 experience is a classic example of the pattern of police misconduct we see occurring in St. Tammany parish,鈥 said Belinda Parker Brown, CEO of (LUI). 鈥淲e look forward to continuing to work with the 老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana鈥檚 Justice Lab in challenging the pattern of 鈥楶redatory Policing鈥 in St. Tammany, which LUI is working diligently to identify.鈥
The Teliah Perkins case is the eleventh lawsuit filed by Justice Lab in ten weeks. The initiative filed six lawsuits against police misconduct in April alone, including for punching, kicking, and strangling a Black man, Kevin Beauregard, while he was restrained by handcuffs. Alston & Bird LLP is representing Mr. Beauregard alongside 老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana.
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The Justice Lab campaign has received nearly 300 complaints of racist policing in less than a year. If you or anyone you know has been the victim of police misconduct, . Filing a complaint is simple and confidential.
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