Angry Residents Demand Officers Badge Following Assault of Phoenix City Councilman

Destination Arizona
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor


Residents of a Phoenix inner city neighborhood are urging Phoenix City Mayor Phil Gordon to fire a valley police officer, following a neighborhood fire that resulted in a city councilman being cuffed and assaulted by the officer.

The officer, Brian Authement, who is white, was responding to a house fire in a predominantly black neighborhood when the altercation occurred. Officer Authement, age 27, is accused of using excessive force, throwing Councilman Michael Johnson to the ground, as Johnson, who is black, attempted to check on the safety of his next door neighbor, whose house was ablaze.

Neighbors of the councilman are understandably outraged by the incident, and have demanded the officer be fired. Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris is also being called on to resign.

Councilman Johnson is himself, a former Phoenix police officer who retired in 1995 after twenty-one years on the force. Johnson did not attend a public forum held last night to discuss the incident, but intended to discuss the matter in detail early today at the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse.

Several prominent blacks in the valley have stepped forward to express their discontent with the manner in which the situation was handled and are demanding Authement lose his badge. Many residents of the neighborhood in which the incident occurred have complained about similar run-ins with responding officers. Several have testified under oath that they or their family members have been erroneously pulled over, questioned or arrested by because of the color of their skin.

Destination Arizona
Destination Arizona