In one of the craziest things to ever play out on live television, several good samaritan shop owners in Van Nuys were placed in handcuffs and detained, simply for protecting their own shop and preventing looters from breaking into a nearby business.
Christina Gonzalez, an on-site reporter for Fox11, captured the scene as it happened. She stood outside and watched as the shop owners argued with looters, who were trying to break into a gold shop down the street. The liquor store owners protecting their business were holding weapons. When they noticed the police driving down the street, they flagged them down but the cops appeared to drive by without stopping. Finally, they returned to the scene and, almost instantly, they placed the good samaritans (people of color) in handcuffs.
One woman who was protecting the store has been described as a community leader who was trying to restore peace. The woman, who was screaming for help, was obviously not the root of the issue. However, she was put in handcuffs as the looters were given the opportunity to run away.
As we observe Blackout Tuesday by shifting the focus of our editorial content today, please continue to fight for the rights of POCs in America by protesting, donating, and doing what you can. Watch the unreal video below.