Black Doctor Wrongfully Handcuffed Still Hasn't Heard From Miami Police
Several days after detaining Dr. Armen Henderson, as he tried to help the homeless in downtown Miami, the city’s police department still has not explained the reason behind the incident, and has not reached out to him at all, he says.
During an appearance on The Clay Cane Show on SiriusXM Urban View on April 14, Henderson said, “No one from the police department has reached out to me directly.” He also added that he knows someone from the Citizens Investigative Panel, which looks over misconduct amongst the police department, and said they will “definitely” file a complaint.
Listen below:
A video of the confrontation with the 34-year-old physician went viral after being detained outside of his home by Miaimi police on April 10 while testing homeless people for COVID-19 and delivering food and clothes, which was covered weeks ago by the Miami Herald.
Henderson said when he was unloading his van outside of his home, an officer approached him and said there were “complaints of people dumping trash.” He told the officer he was simply unloading his van but was handcuffed when he did not his identification, according to the Herald.
The video has no audio but Henderson told the newspaper, “He said ‘you should refer to me as sir, or sergeant when talking to me.’ I never said I was a doctor. But I didn’t cuss. He just grabbed my arms and cuffed me."
Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina said in a video statement that the Miami Police Department does not “condone or accept profiling of any kind.”
Henderson also addressed Colina's comment on The Clay Cane Show, saying, “I don't understand why an individual would make a concerted effort to accost me in such a dire situation other than the fact that he just wanted to prove something,” Henderson said. “Had I been a Latino-looking man in the neighborhood, which is the majority of my neighborhood that lives on the block, I don’t think he would have even stopped... of course, he’s going to say what he has to say to protect the city of Miami and the police department.”
Listen to the clip below:
