Run me my coins! Black men and women have continued to fight for justice at all costs when it comes to being mistreated by police. This Wednesday, a Black man, Trevonyae Cumpian, announced he is filing a $2.5 million claim against the city of Tempe, AZ, after he claims an officer held him at gunpoint while looking for a white suspect last month.
The claim, which is set before a legal lawsuit, follows the alleged event on August 29th. A call was made to Tempe’s non-emergency response line by the hotel’s general Manager, Shawn Hoover. He requested two white individuals be removed from the facility at the Hawthorne Suites in Tempe, after they were suspected to be engaging in illegal activity, according to Atlanta Black Star.
Trevonyae, an employee at the hotel, followed the white couple to be sure they left the property due to them flashing a gun before Shawn asked them to leave. When officer Ronald Kerzaya arrived on the scene, he declined to watch surveillance videos to see the ethnicity of the armed man and started searching the premises.
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Ronald saw two white people sitting outside and issued them to go inside while he began searching for the alleged suspect. However, when he saw Trevonyae, he immediately pointed a gun at him and demanded him to put his hands up. Trevonyae pleaded with Ronald that he’s an employee while he had his uniform on, but was still ordered to get on his knees.
Three minutes passed before the officer confirmed Trevonyae was an employee. In the suit for $2.5 million, Trevonyae claims emotional trauma and needs lifetime therapy. Also, he calls for Donald to be fired from the department.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is representing Trevonyae. Benjamin said, “Tempe, Arizona, don’t take this lightly,” adding, “Let’s do justice for Trey and let’s do justice for this community — for marginalized people of color.”
The officer is currently placed on administrative leave while the ongoing internal investigation takes place.
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