Waffle House Prom Attendee Police Brutality Video

Overview

Waffle House Prom Attendee Police Brutality Video refers to the public reaction to a viral video of a man named Anthony Wall who was aggressively restrained by a police officer at a Waffle House in North Carolina. Wall, who had escorted his younger sister to prom earlier in the evening, was still in his formal wear during the incident.

Background

On May 8th, 2018, Anthony Wall posted a video on Facebook ^[1] of himself being accosted by a police officer in the parking lot of a Waffle House in Warsaw, North Carolina. Wall, who had taken his younger sister to prom earlier in the evening, was still wearing his prom outfit in the video. He captioned the video, "This have to stop please help by share reporting to ever news report u know please." The post (shown below) received more than 3,800 reactions, 39,000 shares and 1 million views.

Developments

Wall's Statements

Following the incident, Wall spoke to the local ABC^[2] affiliate and described the incident. He said that there was an argument some members of the Waffle House wait staff, leading to the arrival by police.

He said:

"I was pretty much trying to scream for air and trying to breathe because he was holding my throat and that's when I got aggressive with him because you are choking me[…]Your hands should have never been around my neck like that if my hands were in the air."

Police Response

Speak to ABC 11,^[2] the North Carolina ABC affiliate, Police Chief Eric Southerland gave a statement:

"We are currently investigating the whole incident, interviewing witnesses and gathering additional video. We have also reached out to the District Attorney's Office to make him aware of the investigation. Once the investigation is complete and the District Attorney has had a chance to review the case we will provide the public with an update on the findings."

Online Reaction

Many online were outraged and disturbed by the video.

On May 9th, Twitter^[3] Twitter user @keithboykin tweeted, "A few reasons people called the cops on black people: • waiting in @Starbucks • napping in a @Yale dorm • renting an @AirBnB • golfing at @GrandviewGC • shopping at @NordstromRack • buying a belt at @BarneysNY • BB gun shopping at @Walmart • wearing a hoodie in the rain." The post (shown below, left) received more than 22,000 retweets and 39,000 likes in two days.

Twitter^[5] user @eveewing tweeted, "So, what’s emerged recently (Waffle House, Yale, Starbucks) are more obvious examples of something people of color have been saying for a while, which is that police exist primarily to control and uphold the boundaries of white civil society, property & space more than 'safety.'" The post (shown below) received more than 7,800 retweets and 19,000 likes in 24 hours.

Journalist Shaun King tweeted^[6] the video with the caption, "That is Anthony Wall, in prom clothes, being lifted off the ground and choked by a Warsaw County police officer @WaffleHouse. He had just taken his little sister to prom. And yet again @WaffleHouse called the cops. Anthony, of course was unarmed & non-violent. This is assault." The post (shown below, right) received more than 71,000 retweets, 88,000 likes and 3.7 million views.

The following day, Redditor ^[4] DubTeeDub posted a screen capture of a tweet by @BerniceKing in the /r/BlackPeopleTwitter subreddit. The tweet calls for a boycott of Waffle House. It reads, "Family let's stay out of @WaffleHouse until the corporate office legitimately and seriously commits to 1) discussion on racism, 2) employee training, and 3) other plans to change; and until they start to implement changes." The post (shown below) received more than 900 points (82% upvoted) and 100 comments.

Media Coverage

Several media outlets covered the incident, including CNN,^[7] Eater,^[8] The New York Daily News,^[9] The Washington Post^[10] and more.

Search Interest

External References