White Officer Tells Black Michigan Woman He's 'More Black' Than Her
Tracy Douglas, a Black woman in Michigan, has filed a lawsuit against a white officer, saying the deputy discriminated against her when he responded to a fight between her and a white couple. According to the federal civil rights suit, filed on Monday, the fight happened outside a liquor store in Lambertville, Michigan.
Bodycam footage obtained by CNN shows the deputy, Jack Hall, giving a warning to Douglas while she was covered with blood. Hall tells Douglas that she is going to the ground if she touches him again.
In response, Douglas said, “Am I really? Because I’m Black?”
Hall replied, “What the f**k does that have to do with anything?”
As the officer continued to question Douglas, he asked her where she’s from. Douglas said she’s from Temperance, Michigan.
Hall then said, “OK, I’m from Detroit, so I’m probably more Black than you, so you want to play the race card?”
The deputy told Douglas to sit in his vehicle. The white couple, however, were not placed in a police car for questioning. Hall is also heard in the video as he tells Douglas “You’re gonna be OK … I want to get you justice.”
In a statement to CNN, the sheriff’s department said “the deputy was highly effective at deescalating and diffusing a volatile situation while also arranging medical care for Ms. Douglas.”
“The female grabbed me several times to get my attention. I told the female to not grab me since she was covered in blood,” Hall added according to a police report obtained by CNN. “I was able to calm the subject enough to have her sit in the rear seat of my patrol car, so I could talk to the other subjects.”
Douglas’ attorney, Darnell Barton, said they never treated his client “as if she was a victim.” The attorney adds that Hall failed to understand how his comments were offensive to a Black woman who was bleeding, crying and asking for help.
The sheriff’s department continued to defend the officer, saying he was “trying to separate Ms. Douglas and prevent her from advancing on the gathering in an effort to avoid further injury.”
“Race played no part in that decision, rather it is a standard technique to safely separate parties in conflict as was occurring during this incident,” the department added.
The sheriff’s department also said Hall’s comment was “unacceptable,” but it was made “in the heat of the moment” after the officer was accused of treating Douglas differently because of her race.
“In that brief moment, the deputy used an unprofessional comment,” the department stated, adding that an internal investigation is underway regarding the incident.
