The community group Survivors Speak held a demonstration Wednesday at the University of Michigan’s diag to protest what they call misconduct, both at the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office.
Among those who attended the protest was William Amadeo. He’s the attorney for Sha’Teina Grady El, the African-American woman who was punched by a white sheriff’s deputy during an arrest last month. Amadeo says white and black victims don’t receive the same treatment at the prosecutor or sheriff’s office.
William Amadeo: When a white victim says something happened, whether there is evidence or not, they are charging. If there is a black victim, were we have evidence, they may not charge.
But Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie disagrees.
Prosecutor Brian Mackie: It’s untrue. It’s not only an insult to me, but certainly to black assistants who work here. Our goal is to treat everyone fairly under the law.
We also reached out to thesheriff’s office for comment but did not hear back from them.
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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
