VIDEO: Providence Police Release Body Cam Footage of Sayles Street Melee
Friday, July 02, 2021
Providence Police have released body camera footage of the incident on Sayles Street earlier this week, after the Black Lives Matter RI PAC levied accusations about the officers’ conduct.
The nearly hour-long video shows police arriving following reports of a conflict between two families on July 29.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAfter speaking with witnesses for nearly a half hour, fighting breaks out again shortly after the thirty-minute mark, with police making arrests.
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, Commissioner of Public Safety Steven Paré and Colonel Hugh Clements, Jr. are expected to address the incident on Friday morning.
“The incident that occurred in the area of 260 Sayles Street on June 29th is under review by Providence Police officials and a portion of the body worn camera footage is being released at this time,” the police said in a statement. “Going forward we will continue to review this incident and the additional body worn camera footage from the responding officers which will be redacted and released for public review.”
The large-scale fight led to accusations by Black Lives Matter RI PAC that police “brutally beat” 20 children.
Families Decry Police
On Thursday, families held a press conference at the location of the incident — calling for an apology from police, and for an unspecified number of officers to be fired.
SEE VIDEO BELOW
“There was no need for them to pepper spray anyone. They wanted to be confrontational,” said one of the mothers, Taffii More. “We said they’re minors and they said so f—king what.”
More’s daughter, who is 21, said she and other juveniles were placed in a wagon — with no A/C — for an extended period of time.
“I was in the wagon, there were no lights, no air — everything we’ve been through, it’s a lot,” said More’s daughter. “They had us in the back of the van for an hour. You can’t leave a dog in a park — and they had us in there for over an hour.”
BLM RI PAC Director Harrison Tuttle issued the following statement after the incident.
“After an incident like this, if lawmakers do not support defunding the police across Rhode Island, they are actively endorsing the brutal beating and near murder of children. Police are killing our children. We, as a society, are failing our one job: to give our children a better world than we had, because too many kids will never be alive to see it,” said Tuttle.
"The thoughts and prayers of the entire Black Lives Matter movement are with the families during this difficult time, but we will stop there," he continued. "Thoughts and prayers don’t replace action and we will continue to fight for change.”
Video: Reynaldo Almonte for Latino Public Radio
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