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AP said:CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — About 1,000 students gathered at the University of Virginia campus Wednesday night to demand justice for a student who was injured during an arrest and appears in a photo with a bloody face as an officer holds him down.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe has called for an investigation into the early-morning arrest of Martese Johnson. His lawyer says he needed 10 stitches in his head.
Court records show that Martese Johnson was charged on two counts: obstruction of justice without force, and public swearing or intoxication.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control agent who made the arrest, listed in court records as J. Miller, said in the arrest report that Johnson "was very agitated and belligerent."
But a group calling itself "Concerned Black Students" says Johnson's arrest was unprovoked and extreme.
About 1,000 students gathered at the University of Virginia campus Wednesday night to demand justice for a student who was injured during an arrest and appears in a photo with a bloody face as he is being held down by an officer.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has also called for an investigation into the early-morning arrest of Martese Johnson, whose lawyer said he needed 10 stitches in his head.
Martese Johnson was charged on two counts: obstruction of justice without force, and public swearing or intoxication, Charlottesville General District Court records show.
Court records show that Johnson was charged with obstruction of… The Alcoholic Beverage Control agent who made the arrest, listed in court records as J. Miller, said in the arrest report that Johnson "was very agitated and belligerent."
A statement from a group calling itself "Concerned Black Students," however, claims the arrest of Johnson was unprovoked and extreme.
"The brutish force used resulted in his head and bodily injuries," the group said in a statement. "His treatment was unprovoked as he did not resist questioning or arrest."
Wednesday night's rally was moved several times, finally ending up at an outdoor amphitheater after more students than expected showed up.
"If we don't get it, shut it down!" many chanted in unison.
www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/virgin...o-students-arrest/ar-BBip5Hs?ocid=ansnewsap11
So a few thoughts:
The facts are 1.) Martese Johnson was not of age to get into the bar 2.) ABC and Police were correct in pulling him aside after the bouncer rejected his entry. 3.) That Johnson was restrained is not a surprise. 4.) ABC in Va. and especially with U Va. students have had a "heavy handed" method in the past (see the article). 5.) The police did not use a taser or shoot Johnson as has been shown in similar types of arrests around the country. 6.) Johnson is black.
The country is in quite a tizzy about race - when and if a black person is arrested now, it has a good chance of becoming national news and if they are bloody ("if it bleeds, it leads") the media will jump all over it, giving activists quite a forum and echo chamber to vent their frustrations adding to the anti-police weight. In this particular case, it's unfortunate that Johnson hit his head and required stitches - it's not clear if the police were the cause of that or if during the restraint, he simply slipped or lost balance. There is a difference between the cops slamming his head repeatedly (I'm making this part up) into the concrete vs. Johnson accidentally getting the cut. Does this mean every time a black man is arrested it becomes national news? Should that be the case? In NJ just this past week, a black man with 4 others in a car was pulled over on Rt. 206 and refused to provide the cop his credentials and refuses to exit the car.