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Ben Crump Takes the Case of NJ Teenager Cuffed By Cops

Video of the altercation between Z'kye Husain and Bridgewater Police went viral

The family of the New Jersey eighth-grader slammed and handcuffed by white officersโ€“while the white kid he fought was left aloneโ€“has called in civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump to represent them.Crump hasnโ€™t said yet whether Zโ€™Kye Husainโ€™s family plans to sue the Bridgewater Police Department in response but both Zโ€™Kye Husain and his mother, Ebone Husain, have told reporters they want the officers involved fired. The incident went viral via social media after video taken by bystanders shows Zโ€™Kye punching and tussling with an unidentified teenโ€”who appeared whiteโ€”after that kid puts his finger in Zโ€™Kyeโ€™s face and shoves him.Two officers, who also appear to be white, quickly show up. While one calmly escorts the white teen to sit on a nearby bench, Zโ€™Kye is wrestled to the ground by the other officer, who sits on his back while placing him in handcuffs. In a statement, Crump says the fight started as a result of bullying by the other teen, who is an 11th grader, but that the officers immediately assumed the worst because Zโ€™Kye is Black.

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https://twitter.com/BenCrumpLaw/status/1494311739910930433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Crump has been almost ubiquitous in high-profile cases involving police violence and misconduct against Black people. His firmโ€™s website lists settlements of $27 million for the family of George Floyd, $11 million for the family of Breonna Taylor and $10 million for the family of Andre Hill, all of whom he represented in cases against municipalities where police were responsible for the deaths of African-Americans.

Fortunately, Zโ€™Kye didnโ€™t perish in this incident, which took place in Bridgewater Township, N.J., a town of about 46,000 people, just 2.5% of which are Black. Crump maintains it could have been worse.

โ€œWe are so thankful that Zโ€™Kye made it out of this incident with his life,โ€ he said in a statement. โ€œIt is no secret that dealing with police in America is more dangerous for Black menโ€“and teenagersโ€“than it is for white men.โ€

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