McClinton demands accountability from Philadelphia Police Department after mother and child dragged from SUV

Philadelphia County Delegation    October 30, 2020 | 4:38 PM

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 30 – State Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware, is demanding accountability from the Philadelphia Police Department after officers snatched a Black woman out of her SUV during the unrest, beat her, separated her from her 2-year-old child for hours, and handcuffed to her in the hospital where she received treatment for her injuries.

McClinton called the incident that took place in her community deeply concerning and charged for transparency from the police department for their actions.

“The Philadelphia Police Department must come forward with a clear explanation as to why officers swarmed that vehicle, busted out its windows, dragged out a mother, beat her, and took her child--who was also left injured,” said McClinton, who is also House Democratic chairwoman. “Recounting what was seen in the video that captured the ordeal is difficult, and I know the trauma that this mother and her baby will continue to suffer from is unimaginable. This situation will not go unquestioned.”

The high-ranking legislator also condemned the National Fraternal Order of Police for posting a picture of a white female police officer holding the toddler after he was pulled from the vehicle that was falsely captioned: “This child was lost during the violent riots in Philadelphia, wandering around barefoot in an area that was experiencing complete lawlessness. The only thing this Philadelphia police officer cared about in that moment was protecting this child.”

The post has since been deleted by the FOP on social media, but screenshots of the image and caption continue to circulate, with many continuing to support the erroneous claim.

“The FOP fashioned a blatant lie laced with coded racism aimed at denigrating the collective outrage of a community for the senseless killing of a Black man who was in crisis,” McClinton said. “The truth is that this woman was not a careless mother, and she wasn’t involved with the unrest in the streets. The FOP’s decision to embellish what actually happened to protect these officers who were clearly in the wrong is absolutely despicable.”