‘RACISM AND BRUTALITY’

Black Woman Whose Family Was Handcuffed at Gunpoint Sues Colorado Cops

In August, a shocking viral video showed Colorado police officers detaining four clearly distressed young Black girls at gunpoint.

In August, a shocking viral video showed Colorado police officers detaining four clearly distressed young Black girls—one only six-years-old—and keeping them face-down on a pavement after mistakenly believing their vehicle was stolen. The four girls, who are siblings and cousins, were ordered at gunpoint by white officers to lie face-down and can be heard screaming for their mom as cops stand over them. The Aurora Police Department said last year that officers conducted a “traffic stop” under the mistaken belief that the driver, Brittney Gilliam, had stolen her car because it shared the plate number of a stolen motorcycle. Now, Gilliam has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city and police officials. The suit states: “The deplorable fact that multiple Aurora police officers held innocent Black children handcuffed and at gunpoint, and multiple other officers did not intervene, is evidence of the profound and systematic problem of racism and brutality within APD.” The city said it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.