What happened next that evening in May 2021 is the basis for a lawsuit by the mother alleging that Burlington police used excessive force and discriminated against her unarmed son, who is Black and has behavioral and intellectual disabilities.
After he failed to hand over the last of the stolen e-cigarettes, two officers physically forced him to do so, then Cathy Austrian’s son was handcuffed and pinned to the ground as he screamed and struggled, according to a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday and police body-camera video shared with The Associated Press by the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont.
The teen eventually was injected with a ketamine, a sedative, then taken to a hospital, according to the lawsuit and video.
This is what they wrote:
Seems like maybe you didn’t read it.
i guess i didnt consider that you might have a problem with reading comprehension
Ah, insulting me rather than explaining what I supposedly misread. Sounds to me like I didn’t actually misread anything and you just want to attack me for not being afraid of guns for some reason.
Sorry, I’m still not afraid of guns and you can’t insult me into being afraid of them.
Nobody saying you should be afraid of guns. They’re saying that you should be uncomfortable with disarming vulnerable people.
That’s not what they said.
Again, this is what they said:
I don’t know why you’re trying to gaslight me when this is the second time I’ve pasted what they said.
Now I guess you’ll insult me again?
You might be pasting it repeatedly but are you reading it? They’re not trying to make you afraid. They’re trying to explain the vulnerable people need guns and youre suggesting they shouldn’t have them.
That is a lie.
Why are you lying?
My bad. you didn’t actually say that. You’re just arguing with someone who is trying to make sure the vulnerable people have the means to protect themselves.
That is another lie. I asked them a question and you started arguing with me.
Stop lying.
How are you advocating for people?