via Flickr
Imagine this: the police were allegedly pursuing some Black teens they saw with a gun and lost one of them. Then later, arrest the WRONG teen in his place.
This was the reality for Tyree Bell, supposedly arrested in a case of mistaken identity - even though he’s much taller and was almost 2 miles away from where the others were spotted.
What would make police think that Tyree was the suspect they were after? Well, aside from having Black skin, it was allegedly his dreads, as well. We’ve heard it before. It’s hard to tell us apart, right? SMH.
Tyree ended up being in jail for 3 weeks thanks to this bad policing. What he experienced was a shorter version of the wrongful imprisonment that locks many Black people away for YEARS for crimes they didn’t commit.
Tyree’s family did the right thing and sued the police - but it was just tossed out. U.S. District Judge Greg Kays ruled the police had immunity despite their inconsistencies. Tyree was only freed because a detective watched the dash cam footage of the suspects.
Imagine all the Black people like Tyree who were “mistaken” for suspects and KILLED, arrested, or brutalized for nothing. Some of them, young and old, are still suffering the consequences of police terror.