Source: Max Zolotukhin / Getty
Encountering a police officer in America as a disabled person has to be a harrowing experience. History shows that those who don a uniform and affix a badge onto their chest have little to no ability to safely, fairly, and humanely deal with people who have mental or physical limitations. That blue ineptitude caused physical injury and psychological harm to Tyron McAlpin according to reporting by ABC News.
McAlpin, who is Black, deaf, and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, was repeatedly punched, tased, and manhandled by two overly aggressive Phoenix police officers back in August after being falsely accused of assaulting a white man. Officers were called to a Circle K convenience store over a disturbance that was being committed by a “White male, 20s, grey shirt, blue shorts.” Body camera footage captured Officer Ben Harris repeating the description over and over again as he drove to the scene. The accused white male told officers that he was attacked by McAlpin.
“The officers took me down … And I told them, I was trying to get to my ears to tell them I can’t hear, I can’t hear, pointing to my ears,” McAlpin said through an interpreter as he used sign language, according to KNXV-TV. “I was trying to gesture, and that’s when the cops grabbed me. (I was) trying to show, hey I can’t hear, pointing to my ears, and they grabbed me.”
After the arrest, the employees at the Circle K told police that McAlpin was a regular customer and had helped them get the white man out of the store the previous day when he caused a disturbance.
McAlpin was subsequently charged with felony assault and resisting arrest, but those charges were ultimately dropped. However…
When ABC News asked the Phoenix Police Department if the white man who made the allegedly false allegations was charged, a spokesperson said in a statement that no additional arrests have been made at this point during the investigation.
Amerikkka.
