Lanerica Heningburg, 26, a longtime friend and schoolmate, attended church with Chikesia Clemons. “Chikesia is not the type of person to act out, I have known her and the news stories are lying saying she’s the belligerent type. No, she’s a Black queen,” said Ms. Heningburg. “You had three strong men wrestling her down and pull down her romper, humiliating, not mirandized.”
Nation of Islam study group coordinator James Muhammad, from Mobile, Ala., took part in the initial NAACP press conference. Later, he said, Pastor Roy Powell of Cedar Street Baptist Church asked him and Preston X to meet in private with the family. “The pastor told the family of all the organizations and leaders in Mobile, the NOI would be the best help,” said James Muhammad. “We are here with the family for the long haul. We are here to give the family moral and spiritual support. We will protect them,” he said. “Our sister is truly distraught. When I was at the town hall meeting I put a call out for the brothers to stand up, and be willing to protect our women even if it costs our lives.”
The video shows officers wrestle Ms. Clemons to the restaurant floor, twisting her arm and exposing her breasts. She kept asking what did she do wrong, and why were officers arresting her? Another officer grabbed her neck, threatening to break her arm for resisting.
“I don’t feel like my daughter was treated fairly,” said Chiquita Clemons-Howard.
“It really moved me the way she was treated. It was wrong and I had to support her. I have daughters myself, five girls and don’t ever want to see anything like that happen to my girls,” said Ricky Glenn, a protestor arrested at the Waffle House.
Sareena Williams, a protestor and activist, said, “This case has brought a lot of stuff to the forefront as a Black woman, period, and an activist. I just feel like as Black women, we have had barriers where we have so many superficial lines that divide us and it’s time for us to get back together. Like in the old country when women warriors were running things and it was a tribe effort. No one person should stand alone,” said Ms. Williams.
She added, “We actually saw a sexual assault by the Saraland Police Department which was clean cut, clear and that is unacceptable. My husband and I are from the gang culture. We spent so much of our lives tearing up the community but now it’s time for people who tore it up to fix it and that’s where I’m at with it.”
“When I first seen and heard the video, I instantly was mad. My first action was to go up to the Waffle House and throw a brick through the window,” admitted activist Bomini Williams. “Then I thought about it, I knew that there was a plan that needed to be organized. Because, they always are expecting us to come without a plan, a plan of action. Whether it takes taking it to the courthouse and to the streets, we will show that we need to make sure our sisters are protected.”
Jarrod Lewis, Ms. Clemon’s boyfriend, said she was shook up over the incident. “She’s better but everyday life is still hard for her right now,” he said. “People are basically telling us to shut up and they feel like we don’t know what’s the best thing for us to do right now. But this isn’t a shut up type of time right now, this is a stand up and fight time and speak out to the people in this world. And if you don’t then justice will never be served.”
The Saraland police department issued a statement saying the officers involved acted appropriately. Police say witnesses, six employees and one customer, said Ms. Clemons and another woman were drunk when they entered the Waffle House. Police say problems began when the women were asked to leave for bringing alcohol into the restaurant. Police were quickly called. Ms. Clemons was charged with drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Police say she threatened Waffle House employees.
But one of the witness accounts produced by Atty. Crump contradicts police, saying the woman did not appear intoxicated, argued with employees and asked for a number for higher management. Then, witness said, police showed up, forcefully pushed Ms. Clemons into her chair, and “flung her to the ground,” in a harsh and unnecessary way. The witness said she feared being charged by police if she would have said something when the incident happened.
Waffle House was standing by its employees and police officers, at Final Call press time. —
Article Appeared @https://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_105048.shtml