Two prominent civil rights attorneys are threatening further legal action against the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after more violent arrests of Black men have come to light via viral video.Ben Crump and Harry M. Daniels held a press conference at Mount Cavalry Church in Jacksonville last month to call attention to the injuries suffered by several Black men during recent arrests the attorneys claim have involved excessive use of force. Among them is 24-year-old Dasaun Williams, whose jaw was broken during his arrest in November as part of a gang-related sting operation by the JSO targeting suspected drug dealers.
While the sheriff’s office has not yet publicly released bodycam footage, a viral video circulating online shared by his girlfriend appears to show officers stunning Williams with tasers and repeatedly striking, kneeing and kicking him while he is pinned to the ground during the arrest.
That video does not show what led up to the beating. Crump and Daniels released more bodycam video that does not seem to indicate Williams resisted before immediately being jolted with a taser, reported the Florida-Times Union.“Watch the video for yourself, he doesn’t resist, he complies,” Crump said at the briefing. “…And yet they have him on the ground face down, and they kick him repeatedly, punch him at least six to seven times, kick him at least three times, break his jaw, cause him to vomit, and cause him to have a puddle of blood under his face. And this is a person who is compliant. The police cannot be the ones who break the law if they want to be the example of how to uphold the law.”
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