Woman says police used excessive force, broke her shoulder during protests

ATLANTA — A metro woman student says her shoulder was broken after police used excessive force on her during the protests over George Floyd that took a destructive turn last Friday.

Amber Jackson told Channel 2’s Tom Jones that she is in a lot of pain. She said she was peacefully protesting when the officer yanked her and threw her to the ground.

The president of the Georgia NAACP said Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields should be fired for how officers are treating young people.

Jackson said the excessive force came out of nowhere and there was no need for it.

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Her attorney showed Jones a video of an officer taking her down near Lenox Square late Friday night.

“The police then come in and slams me, yanks me out of the car and slams me down,” Jackson said. “My shoulder is broken.”

Jackson, a college graduate, said she has never been arrested. She says she and her fiancé had been protesting near the mall.

Jackson said they were getting ready to leave.

“I moved the barricade from the entrance, the front entrance, and I go back in my car,” Jackson said.

She told Jones that’s when the officer pounced on her.

Her fiancé is the grandson of civil rights activist Hosea Williams. He said they had been peacefully protesting.

“They took my fiancé and they pinned me against the car and they slammed her,” Jackson said.

Attorney Mawuli Davis said Chief Shields needs to be removed from her position if she can't get control of her officers.

“If this officer isn't fired, she should definitely resign her post,” Davis said.

Jones contacted Atlanta police to get their side of the story and a response to the allegations. They sent him a statement, saying:

“This incident occurred around 1 a.m. on Friday, May 30 at Lenox Square during widespread looting and damage to property in the Buckhead area on the first night of the protests. In this incident, the officer was stopping a car where a female passenger was attempting to remove a barricade blocking the road. The woman refused the officer’s orders to exit the vehicle. He attempted to get her out of the car and the two struggled. During her effort to resist the arrest, the officer had to force her to the ground to get her in handcuffs. The incident report has not been completed. The case number is 20150178. The officer involved in the incident has been placed on administrative assignment, and an investigation into his actions has been opened by the Department’s Office of Professional Standards to determine if he violated any department policies or procedures.”

Jackson told Jones she doesn't have insurance and can't pay the $5,000 to repair her fractured shoulder.

The group Let Us Make Men has pledged $1,000 to help her, but Jackson’s supporters said they shouldn't have to raise money to get her shoulder repaired.

They say this never should have happened.

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