A Virginia police officer is under investigation by the Richmond Police Department after allegedly harassing a group of black middle school students, reportedly telling them that their “asses” would be his once they turn 18.
The investigation was triggered after footage of the interaction was shared on social media by Cameron Hillard (pictured above), who recorded the video on March 28 outside of Albert Hill Middle School.
In a follow-up video shared on YouTube, the 13-year-old said she was with a group of students walking to an after school program when the unidentified officer drove up in a patrol car. Cameron said she heard someone say, “f**k the police,” but insisted it was not her or her friends.
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The officer, who the department did not identify but said he is white, then reportedly told the group to “man up” — much to Cameron’s confusion. He then told them before driving off:
“Wait until your asses turn 18, then you’re mine.”
Way to keep the racist pig-headed cop stereotype alive, officer.
Cameron’s mother, Keisha Curry, admitted that she initially brushed what she saw in the video off because of her own experiences with police in Richmond. She explained in the YouTube video:
“Being that I was brought up and raised in Hillside Court and the Highland Park area, I found that officers acted like that on a regular basis.”
But after giving it a second watch and speaking to her rattled daughter, Curry said she became concerned by the officer’s words. Speaking to NBC News on Tuesday, the mother said she hopes the officer is reprimanded and investigated — however, she doesn’t want him to lose his badge over the matter.
Rather, she hopes that a conversation will take place between the police force, state officials, and parents to make sure the streets of Richmond are rid of this type of taunting from Richmond’s finest.
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Curry said she would even be willing to meet with the officer face to face “to unite both sides and figure it out,” adding:
“I don’t feel he needs to lose his job. He just shouldn’t be patrolling the streets.”
Or maybe he could stick to patrolling the streets with the goal of making people feel… not threatened? Just a thought.
A spokesperson for the Richmond P.D. said it’s aware that the video has been shared online and is currently investigating the officer in question, telling NBC News:
“The Department takes these concerns very seriously. The officer in the video is currently being investigated by the Internal Affairs Division.”
The controversy also sparked a response from Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who said in a statement that the officer’s alleged behavior will not be tolerated by any employee of the City of Richmond. The statement continued:
“I trust that the Richmond Police Department will conduct a quick and thorough investigation and respond accordingly. This behavior is unacceptable. It reinforces stereotypes of our communities that are hurtful and damages the relationship between our police department and the citizens they are charged to serve.”
We hope Richmond police are taking this seriously.
Racial tensions have already been high in Virginia as of late — the last thing the state needs are cops who think it’s fine to taunt innocent black middle schoolers.
[Image via YouTube]
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