For an incident that has stirred national outrage and prompted Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego to issue an apology, the philanthropy affiliated with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, said it is offering support to an Arizona family after a confrontation with police in Phoenix last month following an alleged shoplifting incident.
The incident involved Dravon Ames, 22, his pregnant fiancée Iesha Harper, 24, and their two young girls. The family was shopping at Family Dollar when, unbeknownst to the parents, their four-year-old daughter took a $1 Barbie doll from the store. Later, they were confronted by police at their apartment complex during an incident that was very close to being deadly. The footage, that has sparked national outrage, shows police pointing guns at the family. Harper, who was holding her daughter during the altercation, is heard telling the officer she is pregnant but he continues to yell and point the gun at her. They also threatened to shoot the family.
Arizona officers were caught using excessive force and threatening to shoot a pregnant mother over an alleged shoplifting incident. #PhoenixPD do the right thing. These officers are unfit to serve. #BarbieIsForLittleBlackGirlsToo #DravonAmes #IeshaHarper https://t.co/YjMhXPRTUN pic.twitter.com/vz1Vurg9Wn
— Team Roc (@teamroc) June 15, 2019
“There is no place for that behavior in our world—let alone our justice system—and we are calling for the immediate termination of the police officers in question,” Roc Nation Managing Director of Philanthropy Dania Diaz said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting the family to ensure that justice is served.”
The Phoenix police have not released the name of the officer.
