Source: Screengrab / Youtube
Given the unrest sparked by the actions of police officers across the nation, it remains baffling why instances of harassment masked as law enforcement remains rampant. In Perth Amboy, N.J., the actions of officers in the town sparked an investigation into the matter by the county prosecutor.
As reported by NJ.com, a video of the incident captured by a group of young Black and Latino bike riders having a bit of two-wheeled fun depicted a moment where one of the officers responding to the non-violent collective decided it was time to flex some imaginary muscles. The reason the officers stopped the bikers was due to an obscure rule that they must have licenses to operate the bikes, something that probably doesn’t get enforced with a bunch of white bike riders as one can imagine.
When a commanding officer on the scene instructs his officers to confiscate the bikes, one teen refused to relinquish his property and the officers slapped cuffs on the boy and put him inside a patrol car. Video of the arrest and confrontation made its rounds this week across social media, and it’s clear that the boy was not posing any manner of threat. In fact, the officers even thanked the riders for stopping after they tailed them, which was probably a scarier moment than it ever needed to be.
With the bike-riding menaces (understand this is sarcasm, please) of Perth Amboy handled, the cops went about their day probably feeling mighty proud of themselves. However, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office is set to investigate the incident to see if the boy’s civil rights were violated. The mayor of Perth Amboy, Helmin Caba, backed the play of the cops because of course, he did.
At any rate, the boy, thankfully, was released after being held in what officials framed as “protective custody” because, you know, bike riding in groups really does get the public nervous. If the boy’s family doesn’t have legal representation working on this, they should get on that pronto because this is as senseless an arrest as there ever was.
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Photo: YouTube
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