Protestors have been gathered outside of Kansas City's Town Hall for the last five days, according to CNN, all because of the unjust arrest of a 25-year-old woman named Deja Stallings. During her arrest, an officer kneeled on her back, which people are furious about because she is nine-months pregnant.
In a statement released by the Kansas City Police Department, the incident is explained as such.
The cops were called because of a fight involving 15-20 people at a gas station. The owner of the gas station told officers that he "wanted everyone off the property who wasn't buying anything" minutes after they arrived. After a man interfered with the police's attempts to clear the area, Stallings was reportedly among two people that tried to pull the man away from the cops, resulting in her own arrest.
One witness, Chanel Le'Yoshe, claims that there was actually no fighting or arguing before the police arrived. The gathering was apparently planned by an activist to release balloons into the air to honor a victim of violence.
According to Stallings' attorney Stacy Shaw, Stallings only stepped between the suspect and the officers for a brief moment, which is shown on the security video, but that the officers swiftly avoided her to continue running after the man. Then, an officer tried to arrest Stallings while she was standing, and "she continued to physically resist arrest, at which point he placed her on the ground to effect the arrest".
Her arrest was not in view of the security camera.
In videos shared on social media though, Stallings is on the ground, on her front side, with an officer placing their knee on her back. The police claims that the officer took the right measures to not apply pressure with his legs but Shaw argues otherwise.
"The question is only why this officer body-slammed a pregnant woman and put his knee and her back," Shaw says. "What they're saying is because they asked her to leave, because she was pulling this away from an officer that that somehow justifies a white, large officer, body slamming 120-some pound, nine-month pregnant woman, twisting her arm above her head and kneeling in her back."
Protestors outside City Hall are calling for resignations of the officers involved. They are also asking for the Police Chief to resign, and for 50% of police funding to be redirected to social services for the Black community.
Stallings went to the hospital shortly after her arrest and her baby appears to be alright.