(Photo credit: Shutterstock.com / ArtOlympic)The Morehouse and Spelman College students who were tased and brutalized by cops in Atlanta decided to speak on the incident that shocked the nation.
On May 30, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced a 9:00 p.m. curfew. About 15 minutes after the curfew went into effect, the situation at the site of the protests deteriorated quickly. Messiah Young, 22, and Taniyah Pilgrim, 20, were not protesting on that night. Instead, they were reportedly searching for a place to pick up food before heading home for the evening.
Video of police arresting two college students was captured by CBS 46 as well as on body cameras worn by officers. During the arrest, the cops slashed the tires of the vehicle, busted the windows from the cars, and tasered the male and female before arresting the two. The video went viral and Bottoms took swift action by announcing the firing of two officers involved.
On June 1, Young and Pilgrim spoke out for the first time during a press conference that took place in front of Morehouse College.
“This is the most traumatizing thing that has ever happened and I hope it never happens again in my life,” Pilgrim, a Spelman senior, said. “I don’t even know how to act and what to do. I just can’t stop thinking about what would have happened if cameras weren’t there. If they would have gone a little bit further, I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened. I’m sorry you guys even had to see something like that.”
Pilgrim continued by saying that a police officer threatened them when they were being escorted away.
“When walking me and Messiah, he said that he was going to shoot us. This is the stuff that shouldn’t be said after all the trauma that’s been on video. I still can’t even process what happened.”
Young, who suffered a fractured arm and 26 stitches during the arrest, also spoke.
“It’s good to know that I have a support system that understands the severity of this and understands that changes are needed worldwide,” Young said. “This has probably been one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced in my life. And at the end of the day, it’s a blessing that I’m alive, and I’m here to talk with you considering everything that’s occurring at this moment.”
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