Thursday, July 8, 2010
Destini Bronaugh recharged for police scuffle
Posted by Kyle Swenson on Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Yesterday, The Plain Dealer ran an update on the Bronaugh sisters, the 19- and 17-year-old Cleveland girls who tangled with police at a protest in May. Following the incident, accusations emerged of police brutality while the sisters road out an ongoing wave of legal uncertainty.
Initially, County Prosecutor Bill Mason’s office brought felony charges against Destini Bronaugh, 19, including assault and resisting arrest. Those indictments were dropped on June 23, a move family members and community activists hoped would close the door on the incident. It turns out the county has swapped the original felonies for a new round of misdemeanors: resisting arrest and obstruction of official business. In the article, City Law Director Robert Triozzi tells the paper he felt the incident “did not rise to a felony” and asked the prosecutor to bring “more appropriate charges.”
Bronaugh’s 17-year-old sister has a Juvenile Court hearing on July 22.
The confrontation with police happened at a May 13 protest outside Collinwood High School; students reportedly held a walk-out on campus to signal their anger over a round of teacher layoffs tied to the system’s deflated budget. Police arrived on scene, ordering under-age students to go back into the building or be taken into custody for curfew violation. Officers reportedly engaged in a scuffle with the Bronaugh sisters; a community activist on hand snagged video footage of the unfolding altercation. See for yourself below.
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