Armies of people from all over the nation have come together to fight the war against the killing of unarmed African Americans. Many people are familiar with this trend of occurrences, and it has provoked a handful of movements worldwide. Movements like these became popular starting with the death of Trayvon Martin, who was shot in 2012 by the neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman. Following this was the death of Michael Brown, also an unarmed black teen, who was shot and killed at the hands of a white police officer in August, 2014. Grounds became even shakier when Eric Garner was killed at age 43 after being restrained in a chokehold for 15 seconds while screaming the three famous words, "I can't breathe". Although more people have fallen victim to these type of crimes, these are the stories that have had hit the media the hardest. It seems as though these happenings have been occurring at an increasing rate, even in places that people would never imagine. Is Madison, WI, the next place to experience big city crimes and controversies?
Controversy in Madison continues to increase exponentially as the fight against police brutality also rises. On Tuesday June 21, the name of Ganele Laird stormed all forms of social media due to a video that went viral; a video that displayed Ganele being restrained and arrested at the East Towne Mall by the Madison Police department. The new standing controversy from this recent display of actions is not whether or not Ganele should have been arrested, but instead how the situation was "controlled" by the Madison Police department.
This young woman was reported to have been harassing a Taco Bell employee at the mall about the phone that she had previously lost, arguing that it was stolen. According to Channel 3000 WISC-TV, "Police said she resisted arrest after displaying a weapon and making threats inside the mall." After the employee reported Ganele to the mall security, the police were then called to respond to the scene.
As the officers approached the scene, they found Ganele in a screaming panic in response to losing her phone. According to the screenshots of the viral video that the Wisconsin State Journal displayed, Ganele was kneed to the ground by two officers and tased in the stomach, followed by being restrained with handcuffs and a bag over her head.
As the ongoing debate over the treatment of this woman continues, people around the world are taking numerous stances on whether or not the police did the right thing. According to 27 News ABC, "Laird faces tentative charges of disorderly conduct while armed, resisting police (causing injury), battery to a police officer, and discharge of bodily fluids"
Either way, the gap between people of different backgrounds is growing at a rate that only we as people can stop. Our goal should enhance the idea of people standing together against what is wrong, and fighting for what is right. Many people pose the question: What if this was a white female? How would she be treated then? Instead of looking at it from this perspective, we should be starting movements where all people come together as one to tackle officers who choose to abuse their power.
In conclusion, both sides of the story still stand. While police should not have used such excessive force against a panicked woman, Ganele should not have resisted against police. Ganele still remains in jail with no charges, while she did not show in on Thursday, June 23. According to 27 News ABC, Ganele was released from jail on Thursday, June 23 at 7:45 pm. Her family was overwhelmed with joy to see her. According to WISC-TV, Ganele will not be charged with any of the felonies previously mentioned.
