Now, the community is demanding answers from the Richfield Police Department. Video of the incident can be found below.
Kamal Gelle, who is Somalian, was pulled over for careless driving, and was given a citation. Gelle drove a short distance away from the incident and proceeded to get out of his vehicle after the initial encounter was over. The video shows him standing on a public sidewalk talking on his cell phone.
The officer, who has not yet been identified, then approaches Gelle and can be heard yelling, “Move along! Move when I tell you to, we’re working right here!!”
“I am on a public sidewalk,” Gelle replies.
The officer then pushes Gelle and slaps him in the face. If that wasn’t excessive enough, the officer then pushes Gelle again.
The Richfield Police Department has placed the officer on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
However, it should be added that with the video, there is not much that needs to be investigated. The officer involved illegally hit Gelle for no good reason.
And because of that, a local Somali civil rights group met with the Richland police chief on Tuesday. Minnesota has the largest Somalian population in the United States with 25,000 Somalis, according to the 2013 U.S. Census.
Richfield is a suburb of Minneapolis. Earlier this year, the Minneapolis Police Department made the pages of PINAC when one of their officers arrested a Somali teen who had broken no law.
Video The Police
This incident shows how important photography is in America, when you see something, RECORD IT!
Afforded to you by the United States Constitution, it is your First Amendment right to record the police in public. Do not be scared, do not back down.
This officer obviously had no idea he was being audio and video recorded, had it not been for this video, there is no telling what lies would of been told to deny the existence of the officer’s actions.
The 1991 Rodney King beating was video recorded by a private citizen unbeknownst to the police officers involved. The power of that video held the entire LAPD accountable.
In today’s world, cameras are everywhere, and it is likely that police are being watched and recorded when they don’t know it. When police know they are being recorded, their behavior tends to change.
