title:  WATCH: Girl On Bike Brutally Beaten By Cops And Then SHE Is Charged With Assault
text: Two years ago, 15-year-old Monique Tillman and her brother, like kids everywhere across the country, were riding their bikes. Unlike kids everywhere, Tillman was stopped for nothing more than the apparent crime of Riding While Black.Tillman and her brother made the mistake of cutting through a mall parking lot and running into Tacoma Police Officer Jared Williams, who was moonlighting as mall security. Williams then stopped the pair, telling them they were trespassing and that they might be banned from the mall.The children tried to explain that they ride through that parking lot all the time and they tried to leave. What happened after that might not be suitable for work.Here s the video:If you don t have the stomach to watch the video, the girl is snatched from her bike by the off-duty officer and slammed up against a car while he appears to be choking her. He then grabbed her hair and began throwing her around. He even tased her. He was choking me, grabbed me by my hair and tried to slam my face into the concrete. The next thing I know, I m on the ground being tased,  Tillman said.Source: Free Thought ProjectThen, after it was clearly shown in the video that the girl never even raised a hand toward the officer, she was charged for resisting arrest and assault on an officer for allegedly attempting to kick him. That s right, she was charged for assault. Fortunately, those charges were thrown out after there was no evidence that she tried to kick at all, and a lawsuit has been filed against Officer Williams, the security company and the people who own the mall. A child riding a bike should not have to worry that a police officer will stop her without legal cause and brutalize her,  said (Tillman s attorney, Vito) de la Cruz.  Our communities are weary of another African American child being hurt by unwarranted and excessive police force. Tillman, who is now a digital media student at Bates Technical College, had this to say: I feel like I was targeted because I am a person of color,  Tillman told the Seattle Times.  It was frustrating because I knew I didn t do anything wrong, but I couldn t stop them. Here s Tillman, now 17, talking about the incident, saying all she wants is an apology:Williams still has his job.Featured image via video screen captures