Did KC police officer use excessive force in the arrest of pregnant Black woman?

Why would a Kansas City police officer put his knee in the back of a pregnant woman?

The video footage of Deja Stallings’ arrest is difficult to watch. The officer needlessly put a 25-year-old Black woman and her unborn child in danger.

Stallings is nine months pregnant, her attorney said. Video of her arrest last week by a white police officer was widely shared on social media.

Despite the Kansas City Police Department’s assertion that Stallings interfered with the apprehension of a Kansas City man suspected of trespassing, there was no justifiable reason for her to be violently taken to the ground, arms twisted, with the officer’s knee on her lower back.

If a police officer can’t handcuff a nonviolent pregnant woman without using excessive force, that officer may want to consider another profession.

In an edited video released by the Kansas City Police Department, Stallings is seen handcuffed and sitting upright on the ground. She is visibly upset and appears to be struggling to breathe.

Conspicuously absent from the city’s surveillance camera footage was the arresting officer’s violent takedown, which could be seen on the video shared on social media.

The police department’s video was clearly edited. Why omit that pivotal interaction?

“The arrest is covered in the Facebook video that has been circulated,” a spokesman for the police department said.

Stallings was not armed and posed no threat at the time of her questionable arrest. She was cited for hindering the arrest of “Honk for Peace” activist Troy Robertson, a perpetual thorn in the side of police officers who patrol the area near 35th Street and Prospect Avenue.

Robertson has had numerous run-ins with officers over the years.

The department’s claim that Stallings physically tried to pull Robertson away from arresting officers contradicts what’s evident on publicly available video.

Regardless, placing a pregnant woman face down on the ground with a knee in her back is inhumane — and could have devastating consequences. A fall down a flight of stairs could cause less damage than the unidentified officer’s actions, medical experts say.

Stallings was treated at the hospital and released. She has been in and out of medical care since, said attorney Stacy Shaw, who is representing the family.

“The video speaks for itself,” Shaw said.

At least six police officers responded to the Conoco gas station after a store security officer dialed 911 to report a fight and a group of people in the parking lot.

No punches were thrown during the nearly 30-minute video released by the police department. The only violence recorded that night was instigated by Kansas City police officers, who also placed a knee against Robertson’s upper back during his arrest.

“All it takes is for them to say we did something,” Robertson said. “But we show (you all) the truth.”

Most police departments deserve the benefit of the doubt. But Kansas City police have routinely denied the use of excessive force — even when officers’ inappropriate actions were caught on video.

Twice this year, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has used a grand jury to bring charges against officers accused of violently assaulting criminal suspects.

Both times, the investigations were met with resistance from Police Chief Rick Smith.

Baker is aware of the latest incident, and an investigation is underway, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office said.

Unless Stallings posed a threat, the arresting officer should have handled the visibly pregnant woman with care. He exposed Stallings and her child to possible long-term complications.

Smith, of course, is unlikely to condemn the arrest. Protesters occupying City Hall have called for him to step down, as has The Star Editorial Board.

Video evidence clearly shows Stallings only ran after police chased Roberston, who took off on foot before falling.

Stallings tried to prevent Robertson from being apprehended, police contend. But witnesses and the video from social media tell a completely different story.

If police had evidence of such an encounter, there’s no doubt it would have been released.

Neither the video nor the department’s highly questionable version of events justifies the force used in a pregnant woman’s arrest. And this latest example of the Kansas City Police Department telling us that we can’t believe our own eyes only exacerbates the profound lack of trust in local law enforcement.

This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Did KC police officer use excessive force in the arrest of pregnant Black woman?."