A Black woman in Wisconsin says an arrest left her traumatized and with injuries including a concussion and bruises.
The arrest of 22-year-old MaKayla Patterson unfolded on July 27 outside the She-nannigans and Lucky's Bar. Video of the arrest was first shared on a Facebook page called "Justice and Healing for Makayla" earlier this month. The original post said Patterson's encounter with the Eau Claire Police Department left her bruised and traumatized. A GoFundMe campaign launched to support Patterson's legal fight accused Eau Claire police officers of police brutality, saying she "suffered a concussion and injuries to her face, chest, and body" during the arrest.
On Friday (August 23), the Eau Claire Police Department released roughly two hours of footage from the arrest, saying Patterson was threatening officers, per WQOW. Police said they were called to the She-nannigans and Lucky's Bar by staff who had taken an ID from a woman believed to be underage. Bar staff told police that the woman was refusing to leave and threatening to "shoot them."
Officers escorted the woman and her friend out of the bar where the confrontation played out.
Video shows the woman declining to give officers her name and making threats to police. At one point in the video, one of the women could be heard saying "This n***a smiling and s*** like I won't smack the s*** out of him." The officer then told the woman she was going to be arrested for threatening police. The woman told police not to touch her before she was brought to the ground and handcuffed.
Patterson, identified as the woman arrested in the video, was charged with felony threatening a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting an officer. Keyana Robinson, 19, is also facing charges of disorderly conduct and resisting an officer and was cited for being an underage person in a bar.
Loved ones and community members are still calling for justice following Patterson's arrest. A protest is scheduled for Sunday (September 1) at 2:15.
Patterson and Robinson are both scheduled to appear in court in September.
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