It’s a tale as old as time. Black people get arrested for simply living their lives, and it usually results in two stories between the management or “concerned” citizens and the black defendants and witnesses.
Actresses Erica Walker, Brittay Mari Lucio and Asia’h Sharrell Epperson, who appears on the OWN series Greenleaf, entered Houston’s restaurant in Atlanta recently to meet some friends. The kitchen was closed upon their arrival, but guests were still eating.
Then the story diverges.
According to 11 Alive, a police officer was working a second job as a Houston’s security guard when the women entered. The police report claims the women walked into the restaurant and were asked to leave, but went to the bathroom instead. A manager asked the officer to remove the women. In response, he went into the bathroom and asked the women to leave. When they refused, he physically grabbed Lucio’s wrist and began to pull her out. Once outside, the officer claimed Lucio punched him in the mouth.
Meanwhile, the three women say they entered the restaurant and were told it was OK to be in the open restaurant as long as they knew the kitchen was closed. The three women went to the bathroom, and after spending 10 minutes inside were told to leave. The responding officer stormed into the women’s bathroom, grabbed Lucio and dragged her out.
Gerald Griggs, the lawyer representing Lucio, believes there is serious cause for concern when it comes to inaccuracies found in the officer’s report.
“I’m concerned about that, considering there are numerous witnesses that will state they [the actresses] were an invitee onto the location,” Griggs told 11 Alive.
Lucio posted a video filmed by Epperson, displaying the aftermath of the bathroom scene where the officer continues to pin down and restrain Lucio and Walker in bushes outside the restaurant while Epperson demands that police be called.
“We are seriously concerned about the level of force that was used,” Griggs said. “We believe they were profiled and subject to police brutality.”
All three women were charged with criminal trespassing, and Lucio was charged with felony obstruction.
“I have not only been embarrassed and humiliated, but also traumatized by the officer’s lack of ethics, professionalism and blatant physical assault on my friends for no valid reason,” Lucio said. “The statements made and released by this officer are false and exaggerated, and I will be taking legal action.”
These statements were released with photos of Lucio’s body after the incident.
.@11AliveNews has obtained pictures of Brittany Lucio’s injuries after she and two others were arrested during a bathroom incident at Houston’s Restaurant. #BoycottHoustons hashtag revived. Details: https://t.co/xWq3iBijUb pic.twitter.com/vPjn5BiSZu— Faith Abubéy (@ReporterFaith) May 22, 2018
Several celebrities have come to the actresses’ defense, and the hashtag #BoycottHoustons has begun to pick up steam. Among those speaking up is rapper T.I., who shared an account of the events on Instagram, emphasizing that there is no situation in which a male officer should use such force on an unarmed woman, especially one of Lucio’s small stature.
“This young lady is about 115 pounds,” T.I. said. “She had a black eye, sustained injuries and felony charges… You don’t put your hands on no woman, man. You ain’t no police; you a coward.”
Houston’s released a statement saying:
“The evidence we have seen thus far shows that three women arrived approximately 30 minutes after closing time, they went into the restroom as a group after being told the restaurant was closed. The three stayed in the restroom for more than 10 minutes and refused to leave despite repeated requests from several managers to do so. Eventually, an off-duty Atlanta police officer was summoned with whom one or more of the women got into an altercation that led to arrests. Based on our current understanding, we believe our managers responded appropriately to this unfortunate situation.”
