Body cam video catches Barstow cops slamming black pregnant woman to ground

Body cam video catches Barstow cops slamming black pregnant woman to ground, letting white woman go free

Oficials with the city of Barstow, California insisted this week that officers had acted properly when they used force to arrest a pregnant woman who refused to show them her identification, even though the charges were later dismissed.

In police body camera video obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal), an officer is responding to an apparent traffic dispute between Charlena Michelle Cooks, who is 8 months pregnant and black, and an unidentified white woman.

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Refuse to give information after having a complaint made against you by someone calling the police... and start resisting arrest... What did she expect to happen? It's like the guy selling cigarettes that couldn't breathe and was resisting... Making some frigging stupid point isn't worth the risk to your unborn baby's life.. Make the point with a formal complaint or lawsuit after it is all done.

Video of the incident at the bottom of the article.

azgreg said:

http://www.debatepolitics.com/law-and-order/225128-cops-arrest-woman-no-reason.html

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Thanks. I did a search for barstow before I posted it.. No results. Guess i Chose the wrong word.

buck said:

Thanks. I did a search for barstow before I posted it.. No results. Guess i Chose the wrong word.

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No worries. I just posted the link where there was further discussion.

What happened to a persons right to remain silent? What crime did she commit before passively, nonthreateningly resisting unlawful arrest? When did they read her her rights and place her under arrest? Why did they chose to slam her to the ground even though she was non-voilent? Why did the cops not charge her with anything? Why didnt the cops treat the white lady the same as the black lady, asking for her identity and all that.

If she would have been white and said "Am I under arrest? No? I havent commited a crime? Ok then I am leaving if I havent commited a crime." would they have acted differently? Seems to me this black ladies crime is appearing ghetto. This lady is going to end up being rich because of the cops subconscious racism. The cop was even leading the white woman "witness". The white lady says nothing about reckless driving yet the cop leads her into it with a question out of nowhere. Like hes looking for an excuse to get the embarrassing black lady out of there. The lady commited no crime and did nothing illegal, even when she walked away from the cops. It was then that they formally should have informed her that she was part of a complaint investigation and if she didnt comply to their requests she might be brought in.

The cop tried to accuse her with obstruction of police work because she activated her right to remain silent. Physically affected (assualted) her and then didnt charge her with anything.... They violated her rights.

dirtpoorchris said:

What happened to a persons right to remain silent? What crime did she commit before passively, nonthreateningly resisting unlawful arrest?

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Apparently, wreckless driving. But if you feel a cop is illegally arresting you, I wouldn't put myself at risk. Let him arrest me, then file a complaint and/or sue afterwards.

Why did they chose to slam her to the ground even though she was non-voilent? Why did the cops not charge her with anything? Why didnt the cops treat the white lady the same as the black lady, asking for her identity and all that.

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She was resisting an arrest. They did charge her, charges were dropped by a judge. They were going to get the information from the "white lady". They can't very well complete the report they indicated they would get for her without her information.

If she would have been white and said "Am I under arrest? No? I havent commited a crime? Ok then I am leaving if I havent commited a crime." would they have acted differently?

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probably not. Just because you only read about racist white cops arresting the peaceful black individual.. Doesn't mean you aren't being fed a bunch of bull**** by the media.

Unarmed White Man Killed by Alabama Police; No Protests, No Riots, No National Media | The Gateway Pundit

Dothan First reported Lawrence became ‘combative’ when asked to produce identification at the animal shelter. Police reportedly first tazed Lawrence to no effect, he was then shot in the abdomen. There is no mention of Lawrence being armed.

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buck said:

Apparently, wreckless driving. But if you feel a cop is illegally arresting you, I wouldn't put myself at risk. Let him arrest me, then file a complaint and/or sue afterwards.




She was resisting an arrest. They did charge her, charges were dropped by a judge. They were going to get the information from the "white lady". They can't very well complete the report they indicated they would get for her without her information.



probably not. Just because you only read about racist white cops arresting the peaceful black individual.. Doesn't mean you aren't being fed a bunch of bull**** by the media.

Unarmed White Man Killed by Alabama Police; No Protests, No Riots, No National Media | The Gateway Pundit

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What does some whiteman being killed by a white cop have to do with systemic subconcious racism? The cop asked the white woman if she was driving wrecklessly and even the white woman said no. Why did the cop not get the name of the white lady and treat her the same as the black lady? Why did they use force on her even though it wasnt for the defense or self defense of anything? Why did they not place her under arrest or warn her that they still need her for an investigation of crime? (actually there was no crime). Why did they INSTANTLY go to use of force even though she was never under arrest?

This cop was just pissed that she was emberrasing him in public. He never said "Stop, we need you further to investigate this complaint" he got frustrated with her assaulted her before doing a formal arrest.

I have a feeling that if this was a white pregnant woman people would be very upset the cops used force on a non-voilent situation, unless the white lady looked like Honey-boo boo's mom. This lady is the Rosa Parks of our generation and exercising her rights as an american. She has a right to remain silent to protect herself from harassment from the cops, unless she commited a crime, then they need to identify her.


We all know the cops wanted her name so they could check her for warrants or priors. The cop determined that there was no forseeable crime. She didnt confess to any crime. She was being unreasonably detained by the events that went on.

And if there would have been no body cam she would be in jail for "assualting a cop" or they would construe the passive resistance of arrest as violent.

dirtpoorchris said:

What does some whiteman being killed by a white cop have to do with systemic subconcious racism?

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Shows the treatment wouldn't have necessarily been different, which is specifically what you asked.

As for why they didn't get the white women's name? They almost certainly already had it, when she called the complaint in. Besides, they would have needed her information and would have obtained it when the cop wrote the police report, as he indicated he would do. This is typical, whether white or black.