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A video of Livingstone College student William McNeil Jr. has gone viral following the release of body camera footage from a February traffic stop in Jacksonville, Florida. McNeil was assaulted by officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office during a stop back in February. The video has sparked outrage across the country. He spoke about his experience during a recent interview with ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis earlier this week.
After McNeil's two-minute cellphone video went viral, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Sunday that it has opened an investigation into the incident. Sheriff T.K. Waters of Jacksonville also released body camera footage from two cops who were on the scene of the arrest to the public on Monday. During the traffic stop, McNeil repeatedly asked why he was being pulled over and refused to get out of his car, which led to the sheriff's officers hitting and striking him in the video.
“That day, I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,” McNeil told reporters about the incident, which gained traction online in recent days after he shared video from inside his vehicle. “I know I didn’t do nothing wrong. I was really just scared, and that’s it.”
“I don't drive anymore. Just because I don't trust cops anymore. I'm still scared. I can't get sleep at night because of trauma. I have flashbacks and nightmares,“ he added.
Dr. Anthony J. Davis, president of Livingstone College, made a strong statement in support of McNeil, emphasizing the student's accomplishments at the HBCU and in the community while also demanding justice.
“Will’s rights were violated, but he showed restraint, he showed resolve, and he showed resilience. That is the Blue Bear Way,” Davis said in the letter. “We will stop at nothing to ensure that SAU maintains its accreditation and continues serving our students,” he added, while referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Known for his compassion and charity on campus, the Jacksonville, Florida, native is a member of the Blue Thunder Marching Band and a biology major. In addition to working with the school's maintenance staff to enhance the air quality in resident halls, he frequently offers his time to help fellow students by doing car maintenance.
McNeil is being represented by well-known civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Crump released a statement during a press conference calling for the firing of the deputy who punched McNeil. The sheriff named D. Bowers as the deputy who hit McNeil and broke the window.
“If you don't terminate this officer and you condone this type of police excessive force, then it sends a message to all of the other police officers on the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office team. It tells them, it is OK for you to treat citizens like this; it is okay to treat Black motorists like this,” Crump said. “In America, it is not OK.”
Gerald Riggs, one of McNeil's attorneys, stated at the press conference that Black families all teach their kids the “talk” about how to interact with law enforcement and that McNeil “mastered the talk.”
When asked what he learned about dealing with police enforcement as a child, McNeil responded, “Basically, what I was taught is to, instead of fighting them on the street where we don't have power, fight them in the courts.”
