Witness Alleges Brutality in Bartlett

[MrScorpio]

Updated: Tuesday, 06 Jul 2010, 6:41 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 06 Jul 2010, 4:21 PM CDT

BARTLETT, Tenn. - A Mid-South man said he witnessed the brutal beating of a young man and woman Monday night in Bartlett. He claims Bartlett Police officers are responsible for the seemingly unprovoked attack, and he wants action taken against the officers.

Depending upon two differing accounts of what happened centering around the arrest of 22-year old Gregory Harris, II by Bartlett Police on Monday evening, part time undertaker, Robert McCulley, was either the right man in the right place or the right man in the wrong place.

"I was… I was traumatized," said McCulley.

Harris awaits arraignment on Wednesday in Bartlett on a handful of charges, ranging from violating the city's excessive noise ordinance to a count of allegedly assaulting a police officer.

The incident began when he was pulled over into a Kroger parking lot at Stage and Bartlett Boulevard after a Bartlett police officer alleged the music emanating out of Harris' red Chevy Suburban was too loud. The police report further states the car also had expired tags and the windows were tinted excessively dark in violation of the law.

McCulley, who was parked a few feet behind the scene, thought things seemed routine until Harris' 26-year old sister, MCS teacher Crystal Harris, arrived. Harris said she came after her brother called and told her he was being harassed by police.

It's from this point on that the narratives take off in radically different directions.

The police report described the approaching Ms. Harris to be in a very agitated state. Harris takes issue with that depiction, alleging it was the cops who needed to calm down.

"I was trying to be calm and told him, 'could you please just calm down a little bit,'" said Harris. "The officer was being very rude, talking to us with no kind of respect at all. Just pointing his finger in our faces and yelling at us."

"She was walking to the suspect's car, her brother's car at the time. That's when the cop came over to her and was cussing her non-stop. So loud you could hear? Oh, yeah, I had my window down. I could hear everything," said McCulley.

Ms. Harris, the police report and the alleged eyewitness McCulley agree on one thing, that tensions began to escalate. The police report alleging it was Ms. Harris who created a "hazardous/offensive condition" is something that Ms. Harris and McCulley thoroughly refute.

"When he jumped on my brother, I went forward trying to get him to get off of my brother. So, the other guy was like, 'let me handcuff you,'" said Harris.

"They threw him to the ground. They got into conflict. He arrested him. Then six other squad cars pulled up and they all man-handled him, I mean, throwing him around like a rag doll," said McCulley.

In the aftermath, Crystal Harris was charged with disorderly conduct. McCulley filed a report with the Bartlett Police on what he saw, and for right now, Bartlett Police are reserving comment since a complaint on the incident has been filed.

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/070610-witness-alleges-brutality-in-bartlett

News for the traumatized eyewitness, this kind of treatment is quite routine against black people by the police in America.

[G_j]

1. Mr. McCulley is a brave man

:applause:

[bbgrunt]

2. there is way too much brutality by officials going on. Thanks for cataloging it.