The police say they were
just doing their jobs—and besides, the 12 year-old attacked them. But a 911
call by a pool employee reveals concerns over race.
Krystal
Dixon dropped off her kids and nieces and nephews at the Fairfield, Ohio pool
just as she’d done many times before. Not a half hour later, the family was
being rushed to the hospital after a violent altercation with local police.
The
incident started so small. When one child didn’t have swimming trunks, staff
demanded the family leave.
Even
though Dixon, pregnant and 33, said she had a swimsuit for the child, workers
at the Fairfield Aquatic Center—about 25 miles north of Cincinnati—said it was
too late.
What
was a minor breach of pool rules then descended into chaos: a white officer
using pepper spray on black teenage girls, and one 12-year-old—Dixon’s
niece—being slammed against a cop car. Her family claims she has a fractured
jaw and broken ribs.
Two
adults were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
A 12-year-old girl was charged with assault and resisting arrest, while a
15-year-old was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
The
two sides paint a different picture of what happened. The family is accusing
the cops of using excessive force in the incident. The police say they were just
doing their jobs—and besides, the 12 year-old attacked them. But a 911 call by
a pool employee reveals concerns over race.
“Everything’s
going crazy and they’re videotaping, trying to make it look like a racist thing
and it’s not at all,” the caller said. “They were breaking our
policy and we told them they couldn’t be here anymore and it’s really scary and
I don’t feel safe.”
On
Tuesday, Dixon’s allies released shocking videos of the June 9 incident and
claimed cops used excessive force because of racism. Bishop Bobby Hilton, a
Cincinnati pastor who belongs to the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action
Network, came forward to present photos of the injured kids.
“They’re
saying a 12-year-old was assaulting somebody and resisting being arrested,”
Hilton told The Daily Beast. “Please tell me, where is she assaulting somebody?
Why did the officer have to grab her by the neck and push her against the car?
It’s just not right.”
“Tell me, where is she
assaulting somebody? Why did the officer have to grab her by the neck and push
her against the car? It’s just not right.”
Clyde
Bennett, an attorney for Dixon, added: “I could surmise or opine on why [pool
staff] wanted them out. They said they’re not appropriately dressed. I’m not
convinced that’s why they wanted them out of the pool.”
“There’s
a lot of people in Cincinnati who believe they wanted them out … because they
were black,” Bennett added.
Dixon’s
family says it’s the latest example of police using excessive force against
black teens. Days before, an officer was captured on video pulling a gun at a pool party in McKinney, Texas slamming a black girl to the ground.
Thecop resigned and
his attorney said “he was not targeting minorities.”
A
video of the Fairfield melee wasn’t nearly as shocking as the McKinley footage. But the
altercation was serious. After the Fairfield incident, the six-months-pregnant
Dixon was rushed to the hospital for evaluation with four other
relatives—including the 12-year-old with fractured bones. (The Daily Beast is
not naming her, or any other juvenile, from this incident.) Another girl had to
get her eyes rinsed out. Dixon was not injured, but she’s facing disorderly
conduct and resisting arrest charges.
“Krystal
Dixon was behaving in a lawful manner,” Bennett told The Daily Beast. “When
you’re not doing anything illegal or unlawful you should not be subject to
arrest.”
“You’ve
got a six-months pregnant woman trying to get her kids out of the pool, and
before she could do that she was arrested,” he added.
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