A Black British nurse says she’s chosen this moment to go public with the video of her arrest last year because she felt her ordeal would at last be taken seriously. Neomi Bennett said complaints by Black people were previously brushed aside, but now there’s hope. “As uncomfortable as it is, we can have that conversation. Because prior to this, if ever I sort of mentioned problems or the struggles of being a Black person, you would immediately be shut down and told that your, you’ve got a chip on your shoulder. I mean, I grew up being told I’ve got a chip on my shoulder or, you know, you need to get backbone. But now it’s really sort of refreshing that there’s solidarity between, other white people can actually see the struggle.” Last April, Bennett was pulled from her car, arrested and kept in a cell for 18 hours. She believes she was treated unfairly and aggressively because she is Black. During the incident, the police said her front windows were illegally tinted, which later proved untrue, and that she was suspected of having stolen property in her car. In a statement, police said no such items were found. “..it just felt quite aggressive. And I was scared to leave the car because I felt that something worse is going to happen to me. And I’m acutely aware of the relationship that the police have with my community. And I know that I’ve seen police being quite rough with Black members of the community.” London’s Metropolitan Police deny mistreating Bennett and say she was arrested for refusing to cooperate with an officer’s reasonable instructions. She was convicted of obstructing a police officer, but her appeal against the verdict was allowed. She’s now pursuing a complaint against the police.
Source: Reuters
