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.

    • @[email protected]
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      10 months ago

      I don’t think wars fought half way around the globe are quite the same as on your home turf.

      • @Buddahriffic
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        410 months ago

        Yeah, people would get much more upset if they attack weddings and school buses with drones locally.

      • @agitatedpotato
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        010 months ago

        Even if they didn’t if ‘lack of advanced fighter jets’ gonna be the reason you’re not going to oppose your own government if it went fascist then there’s a name for people like that. It’s just fascist.