According to Citizen Time: An officer’s beating of a man suspected of jaywalking and trespassing for crossing an empty parking lot – and police handling their own investigation – unleashed a furious response from city officials and community activists Thursday.
Mayor Esther Manheimer and City Manager Gary Jackson said they had not known of the arrest before the Citizen Times on its website Wednesday night posted video of Johnnie Jermaine Rush being beaten while pinned to the ground and shocked twice with a stun gun while restrained.
“The City Council and I immediately contacted city administration to express our outrage at the treatment of Mr. Rush and our outrage of not being informed about the actions of APD officers,” Manheimer said in a Thursday statement.
The officer, Chris Hickman, has since resigned. Manheimer noted Rush’s race in her statement. Hickman is white and Rush is black.
Rush, in an interview with the Citizen Times, said Hickman was verbally abusive and used a racial slur while he was hospitalized from injuries suffered in the beating.
The video from Hickman’s body camera shows him repeatedly striking Rush on the head with his fists while Rush was being held on the ground.
“On behalf of City Council, I apologize to Mr. Rush, an African-American resident, regarding his treatment by Asheville Police on Aug. 24, 2017,” Manheimer said in her statement.
Officials and activists also criticized police for not notifying Jackson or council members about the confrontation.
Dewanna Little, who was appointed by the council to help form a human relations commission, said the way the incident was handled has undermined work done to build trust with black residents.