What happened next that evening in May 2021 is the basis for a lawsuit by the mother alleging that Burlington police used excessive force and discriminated against her unarmed son, who is Black and has behavioral and intellectual disabilities.

After he failed to hand over the last of the stolen e-cigarettes, two officers physically forced him to do so, then Cathy Austrian’s son was handcuffed and pinned to the ground as he screamed and struggled, according to a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday and police body-camera video shared with The Associated Press by the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont.

The teen eventually was injected with a ketamine, a sedative, then taken to a hospital, according to the lawsuit and video.

  • @WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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    -111 months ago

    Cops brutalize a child. All your energy is being spent complaining about mommy. How IS your mom doing these days anyway? 🤣

    • @wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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      211 months ago

      All my energy? Are you bed ridden? It does not take energy to point out you shouldnt call the cops on black children for not real problems.

      And… Bud? Do you think that mild criticism of a single person means Im not criticizing the cops? Whats this limp dick whataboutism shit youre trying to pull?

      Do you need help? The brain fog seems to really be dragging you down.