The NAACP has intervened in an alarming incident that took place at an Alabama Waffle House.
In a disturbing video caught on camera, 25-year-old Chikesia Clemons, a Black woman, was violently wrestled to the ground after an employee called law enforcement to the scene.
The video purports to show Clemons’ breasts exposed as she screams “What are you doing?” An officer then responds “I’ll break your arm, that’s what I’m about to do.”
According to Clemons’ friend who recorded the encounter, she and her friend stopped at the Waffle House to pick up food they ordered to take away. After they noticed there were no utensils in the bag, they inquired why and were told that they would have to pay 50 cents to have them included. That’s when Clemons argued that she had never had to pay for plasticware before. She then proceeded to ask for the district manager’s number, but instead, an employee called the police.
“They didn’t even ask her to leave, she was waiting for them to give her the district manager’s card so she could file a complaint on one of the waitresses,” said the victim’s mother, Chiquitta Clemons-Howard. “When they went to go get the card, that’s when the police showed up. The officer should’ve come in and said we need you to leave.”
According to Clemons-Howard, her daughter was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and was later released on a $1000 bond.
In comes the NAACP, which was made aware of the video and has decided to intervene.
“In light of the current situation in our country — such as the arrest of two young Black men at a Philadelphia Starbucks coffee shop — we felt it was important for our members to get a first-hand account of the incident, which has now gone viral on social media locally and across the country,” Mobile County NAACP President David Smith said in a statement. “When incidents like this happen in our own backyard, it is incumbent upon the local NAACP to take a closer look and move the matter to whatever level is appropriate.”
The video soon went viral, causing members of the community to protest at the restaurant where the incident took place. Meanwhile, Clemons’ mother is demanding answers.
“What I want is to get justice for my daughter in this case.”
