NAACP Calls For Investigation Of BCU Brawl
Posted: 5:57 pm EDT October 6, 2009Updated: 10:14 am EDT October 7, 2009
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The NAACP is calling for a federal investigation into what police did during a brawl at Bethune-Cookman University. The NAACP said they demanded the investigation only after talks with the school.It's all about what happened after the fight one week ago when police realized they didn't have all the security video of the incident. The school allegedly didn't give police everything.The police chief questioned the school's intentions, but the school and NAACP are firing back at them. It was students and staff who were in a huge disturbance at Bethune-Cookman University, but now the NAACP is targeting police, suggesting bias and discrimination in their investigation.
STUDENT RECORDS VIDEO: Watch (explicit) | Images
INTERVIEWS: Eyewitnesses Describe Scene
POLICE PRESSER: Chief Chitwood On BCU Brawl
"When this incident happened, it was blown out of proportion, I believe," NAACP member Cynthi Slater said.In a letter to the U.S. Attorney General, the NAACP says police descriptions of a free-for-all were inflammatory statements about an African-American institution."My understanding is it was just a free for all, just a huge melee," Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood said.The NAACP said police are publicly oppressing the university with allegations of a cover-up. The state chapter president said the letter came after discussions with the school."Our job is to go out and arrest people who break the law and, if you don't want to help us out, we're going to call you out for that," Chitwood said.Chitwood defended his requests to the university for more information and video that it did not initially provide. He called accusations of misconduct and racially inflammatory statements a lie."If anything, I have probably given BCU more service than I have given any other university here," he said.The school refused to comment about their part in the NAACP investigation.Eyewitness News learned more charges against students and staff could be close, once police are done looking at new video they received from the school.
STUDENT RECORDS VIDEO: Watch (explicit) | Images
INTERVIEWS: Eyewitnesses Describe Scene
POLICE PRESSER: Chief Chitwood On BCU Brawl
"When this incident happened, it was blown out of proportion, I believe," NAACP member Cynthi Slater said.In a letter to the U.S. Attorney General, the NAACP says police descriptions of a free-for-all were inflammatory statements about an African-American institution."My understanding is it was just a free for all, just a huge melee," Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood said.The NAACP said police are publicly oppressing the university with allegations of a cover-up. The state chapter president said the letter came after discussions with the school."Our job is to go out and arrest people who break the law and, if you don't want to help us out, we're going to call you out for that," Chitwood said.Chitwood defended his requests to the university for more information and video that it did not initially provide. He called accusations of misconduct and racially inflammatory statements a lie."If anything, I have probably given BCU more service than I have given any other university here," he said.The school refused to comment about their part in the NAACP investigation.Eyewitness News learned more charges against students and staff could be close, once police are done looking at new video they received from the school.
Previous Stories:
- September 30, 2009: Student Says He Was Beaten, 2 BCU Staff Members Fired
- September 29, 2009: Police Respond To Brawl At Bethune-Cookman
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