Calls for justice erupted and continue nationwide following the brutal murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Amid these protests against racial injustice and police brutality, incidents of reported violence perpetrated by police officers continues to surface on social media. Various city police departments have been depicted violently attacking protesters, bystanders, and even reporters. In Chicago, activists are calling for an officer to be fired after he punched a young woman in the face, resulting in her tooth falling out, NBC News reported.
The incident took place in Grant Park on Friday, where protesters came into contact with officers near the park’s Christopher Columbus statue. Witnesses reported that protesters trying to take down the statue were pepper-sprayed and beaten with wooden batons by the police. Footage also showed protesters being thrown to the ground and pushed off bikes by officers. At least 12 people were arrested and 18 officers were injured after protesters attacked police with rocks, police told CNN.
According to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, several complaints were filed against police officers, including one in which 18-year-old Miracle Boyd said an officer knocked out her front tooth while she was recording the arrest of another protester. "The police officer came up to me, and he smacked the phone out of my hand, and it hit me in the mouth," Boyd said. The officer has not yet been identified.
Boyd told BuzzFeed News that she was leaving to go home when she heard fireworks. She began recording a Facebook livestream and headed in that direction, where she saw people being abused by the police. "They were beating a white woman with a baton," Boyd said. "They were macing everyone. I was trying to get footage of the police viciously attacking on people." In Boyd’s livestream, an officer can be seen knocking her phone out of her hand as she records. The same officer was caught punching Boyd in the face in a video shared on Twitter by social activist group GoodKids MadCity. The group also shared a photo in which Boyd is depicted bleeding from the mouth with missing and broken teeth.
"I felt that my tooth was gone and I felt like I was going fucking crazy," she said, especially because she was already conscious that she had a gap between her two front teeth. "This happened in like five minutes — from me saying I'm leaving to me getting my teeth knocked out." While some commented on the video accusing Boyd of “being the aggressor” because she was yelling, she told BuzzFeed News she “never once swung at a police officer [or] threw anything at a police officer."
As Boyd’s image went viral, activists and local leaders spoke up to condemn the actions of the police department. The condemnations included one from Illinois Sen. Robert Peters, who said his office offered Boyd an internship last week because of her community activism. "[An] 18-year-old who fights every day for gun violence prevention, who fights for a safe community, and what did she face? Abuse," Peters said, according to NBC News.
In a statement to the press on Saturday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot condemned the protesters who allegedly attacked police officers before adding that reports have been made of officers using excessive force, which is “also unacceptable.” Lightfoot said: “Unfortunately, last night, a portion of the protesters turned violent. A number of individuals came with frozen water bottles, rocks, bottles, cans and other gear to throw at officers. People in the crowd also threw fireworks and other incendiary devices at police, causing injury in several cases. These violent acts are unacceptable and put everyone at risk.” She added that her administration is looking into controversial monuments and will release details of a plan in the near future.
According to NBC News, local officials expressed criticism of the mayor’s response. Ald. Jeanette Taylor of the city's 20th Ward said: "We cannot continue to fund people who kill us. We just cannot. We’re so interested in protecting a dead statue that we don’t protect the 34 people who got shot over the weekend?”
A GoFundMe made in support of paying Boyd’s medical expenses has raised more than $80,000 so far. The young activist told BuzzFeed News that while she is grateful for the support, the overall focus should be elsewhere. "I don't want this to be about me because this is a fight we're all fighting and I'm not doing this alone," she said. "There is seriously things wrong within the Black and brown community that needs to change and I'm going to do everything in power to make sure my people are good."
The Chicago Police Department told BuzzFeed News they will be conducting an investigation into the incident, claiming that the department “strives to treat all individuals our officers encounter with respect” and does not “tolerate misconduct.”