Video of Philadelphia officer putting knee on man's neck during arrest prompts fresh Black Lives Matter protests

  • london
  • July 12, 2020
  • Comments Off on Video of Philadelphia officer putting knee on man's neck during arrest prompts fresh Black Lives Matter protests
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A video of a police officer putting his knee on a black man’s neck during an arrest sparked a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in Pennsylvania.

Footage of the arrest has been shared hundreds of times after it was posted on the BLM to Lehigh Valley Facebook page.

It appears to be filmed by someone who is driving past the hospital and shows the moment three officers restrain a black man who is lying face down on the ground in Allentown, Philadelphia.

A few seconds into the clip, one of the police officers leans over the man and then puts his knee on his neck.

The restrained man can be heard calling out in the short clip.

The group said the film was recorded at around 6.45pm on Saturday afternoon outside St Luke’s Sacred Heart hospital.

They also drew similarities between the recording and the footage of George Floyd‘s arrest which showed a police officer kneel on his neck while Mr Floyd said “I can’t breathe”.

“Just last week, the Allentown Police Department praised themselves for releasing their use of force policy,” said the BLM group in the Facebook post.

“No sooner than a week after the APD released this policy, a police officer was viewed applying the same use of force, knee to the neck, procedure that killed George Floyd.”

They added: “It is clear and evident that black and brown lives DO NOT matter to the city of Allentown!”

Around 50 people gathered for a protest organised outside the town’s police department on Saturday evening.

According to CBS3, Allentown’s Mayor Ray O’Connell and Police Chief Glen Grannitz attended the protests in an attempt to ease tensions.

Allentown Police have yet to release information regarding the arrest or body cam footage of the officers.

But the police department released its use of force policy earlier this month, which bans choke holds and neck restraints.

The Standard has contacted Allentown Police for a comment.