A predominantly Black community in Mississippi is seeking answers after footage of a highway patrolman beating a handcuffed Black man garnered national attention, Black Enterprise reports.
The now-viral video shows a member of the Mississippi Highway Patrol forcefully roughhousing Eugene Lewis while in custody.
Eugene's brothers Packer and Darius Lewis can be heard in the five-minute video narrating the patrolman's actions as they witness the brutality in McComb, Mississippi.
“We looking at you choke the man, but we gonna stay back and record you,” one of the brothers said. “We wanna know why you was in a car jumping on him.”
“We don’t give a d**n…you was just in the back seat beating him up,” they told the officer.
Despite having handcuffed Eugene, the Mississippi patrolman can be seen shoving the Black man to the ground by his neck, tossing him to the side of the road, and jumping on top of him.
McComb Mayor Quordiniah Lockley and Rep. Daryl Porter of the 98th district confirmed that the state would be handling the investigation.
“This is alarming that something like this would happen within the city limits of McComb,” Lockley said in a statement.
“Those who have watched the video, including myself, find the contents alarming,” Porter wrote.
Eugene told WJTV that he was unsure what would've occurred if his brother wasn't there to witness and record the assault.
“I can’t never let this go,” Eugene said. “I ain’t did nothing to him. And I know this same white guy will do to another Black guy like that.”
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. These additional resources are also available:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
The National Alliance on Mental Illness 1-800-950-6264
The Association of Black Psychologists 1-301-449-3082
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America 1-240-485-1001
For more mental health resources, click HERE.
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