A sheriff’s deputy in Grand County, Utah was caught on body camera twirling a lasso as she looked for a Black shoplifting suspect, per KSL TV News. In the audio, she insists there was no problem with it. However, Black residents and activists said watching the video took them back to the days fugitive slaves were escaping those same ropes.
The July 2022 incident has only recently caught the attention of local residents. The report says Sheriff’s Deputy Amanda Edwards was one of a few officers looking for a Black homeless man accused of stealing a pair of sunglasses from a gift shop. As Edwards made her pursuit, she wielded a rope as if she’s a runaway slave catcher.
Per the footage, a fellow deputy sees her and says, “That’s going to look really bad, if you use that.” To which she responds, “Better than a Taser.”
One bystander asked, “Are you going to lasso him?”
“That was my plan, man. I mean, it’s better than running, right?” Edwards responds in the video.
Source: Utah Deputy Tries to Catch Black Suspect While Wielding a Lasso
