Images via Virgil Vaduva of the Greene County Herald and Alternative Media Syndicate; and protester Gail Cyan, as well as Shante Wooten and Counter Current News.
The Beavercreek Police Department seems to have decided that Ohio should be “ground zero” in the national protests against police brutality. Not only did they gun down John Crawford III, back in August, just for holding a toy gun in a Walmart that sold the same gun, but they have been brutalizing anyone and everyone who dares so much as photograph them at recent protests.
The recent escalation of violence by the controversial rogue department has proven what many protesters where saying today at the Fairfield Commons Mall, across the street from where John Crawford was killed: “Beavercreek is the new Ferguson!”
The Beavercreek Police Department was out in force at today’s “die in” protest. Officers were even photographed stomping on a banner with Eric Garner’s name on it.
Eric Garner was choked to death by New York City Police even though he was non-violent and unarmed.
Beavercreek Police showed solidarity with Garner’s killer, by joyfully stomping on his name, then violently pushing shoppers and protesters alike, even though the exit they were being forced against was clearly blocked by masses of people.
Police told member of the media that if they did not get down on their hands and knees and crawl through the blocking protesters, then they would be arrested. Officers then physically assaulted members of the media and even children, showing that they are truly a rogue police department which is screaming for federal prosecution.
Since the family of John Crawford has filed suit against the city and Walmart, the Beavercreek Police Department almost seems to be under order to abuse children and the elders, as well as deliberately targeting non-violent leaders even when they are complying with police orders.
Over the past two weeks’ protests and “die-ins” at Walmart and the Beavercreek Fairfield Commons Mall, police have increasingly escalated violence at every turn. This week, they mixed things up by overtly threatening people who were filming them, including well-identified members of the media who they threatened and arrested.
The Beavercreek police officers made several specific threats against members of the mainstream and local media, as well as several alternative media photographers.
One of those arrested was the Greene County Herald‘s Virgil Vaduva, who was not there as part of the protest, but was instead taking photographs, and was easily identifiable by his press pass.
The Beavercreek Police also arrested well-known former University of Dayton Law Professor and protester Vernellia R. Randall, said she was arrested by police because police were pushing her and she was not able to get out of the mall when they told her and others to leave.
The site of Saturday’s protest, organized by Ohio Student Association, was directly across the street from the Walmart where John Crawford was shot and killed last August.
Watch some of the video footage that Counter Current News has obtained thus far…
Members of the media were threatened with arrest from the start for doing nothing other than photographing and recording the police abusing citizens.
Watch the video that captures just a little bit of this…
Other Beavercreek officers were seen violently pushing children as young as 8-years-old, and threatening to arrest a 14-year-old boy for taking pictures in the parking lot with his iPhone. Once they were informed that they were being video recorded by several others, they backed off of him and threatened to arrest those filming their advances towards that juvenile. Officers also attempted to handcuff a mother pushing a stroller who was simply going to her minivan in the parking lot.
Beavercreek police had also removed their name tags from their uniforms, and obscured or removed any badge numbers or identifying markings. Chief Evers has thus far refused to comment on all of these issues, in spite of the fact that Alternative Media Syndicate affiliates have called him several times today.
It took nearly all day, but eventually all of those arrested were bailed out. Police took them to multiple jails, with none of them being taken to the Beavercreek Police Department.
But to complicate matters, they insisted that the Beavercreek Police Department be the place where bail was paid, even while the protesters were being held in Fairborn and Greene County Xenia jails.
Police even forced those who came to bail out the media to stand out in the rain, refusing to let them enter the police station to post bail.
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