A University of Virginia student was allegedly brutalized by UVA law enforcement outside of Trinity Irish Pub in Charlottesville, VA. According to students who were present at the incident the entire situation began over a dispute regarding a fake ID. The victim, Martese Johnson (pictured below), was denied entry at the pub and was confronted by law enforcement officials. During the confrontation, Johnson was flung to the floor and sustained a head injury that required over a half a dozen stitches at an area hospital.

Johnson is a student at the University and is involved in the Black Student Alliance. Last September, Johnson was quoted by NBC News in regards to a peaceful protest against police brutality that was organized by the Black Student Alliance. UVA has not responded to the incident yet, but we will continue to monitor this situation closely as new details emerge.

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An email penned by Black students on campus say the arrest was  unprovoked”

An excerpt from the email:

“Outside the doors of Trinity Irish Pub, a mass of University students bore witness to the officer’s animalistic, insensitive, and brute handling of Martese. He was left with blood splattered on the pavement of University Avenue. 

“Today, we are reminded of the gruesome reality that we are not immune to injustice; as University students, we are not impervious to the brutality that has reeled on news cycles around the country. We have marched and shouted that we are Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, but the proximity of this morning’s brutality to a member of this community has deepened that wound. It is no longer happening only on national television–it is a reality here and now at the Unviersity of Virginia (sic) that we must face as a collective.”

 

We’ll keep you posted on Twitter as the story develops.


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