Syracuse police punch one man, throw another to the ground after traffic stop—NYCLU condemns arrest

A traffic stop captured on video in Syracuse ended up with two Black men forcefully arrested while the community waits for answers. 
A community in Syracuse is looking for answers after a video captured a violent arrest leading to one Black man being punched in the face and another being thrown to the ground. 
On April 9, police pulled over 21-year-old Jaumar Chandler, Jr., who was driving in Syracuse when he and another unnamed occupant were pulled over. Chandler was told to exit the vehicle for driving without a license; he only had a learner’s permit, and there was no other licensed driver in the vehicle. 
In a recorded video posted to Instagram, six Syracuse police officers surround the two men before the video pans down. Once the footage refocuses on the police and two men, we see police aggressively take down Chandler eventually pushing his face into the ground before one police officer punches him in the face. The other unnamed man was thrown to the ground as he inched towards his friend. Chandler was eventually arrested and charged with resisting arrest, spitting on an officer, and driving with tinted windows. 
Chandler’s mother, Lataya Dixson, said she was on the phone during the arrest; Chandler called his mother as he was being pulled over.
“I didn’t hear them resisting arrest from these people. I didn’t hear them saying, ‘no, I’m not going to jail.’ I didn’t hear them acting like they were giving them a hard time or nothing. So when I saw the video, I’m like, oh, my God.”
Many who have seen the video footage are calling for answers and an investigation. According to a spokesman for the Syracuse Police Department, the incident is being looked at as a use of force investigation. In a publicly released statement, the New York Civil Liberties Union condemned the violent arrest and called for accountability. 
“We are extremely disturbed by the video footage showing a group of Syracuse police officers violently arresting two young Black men for an alleged minor traffic violation. It’s devastating to see police – again and again – treat Black lives with such callous disregard. 
This incident reflects a culture of discriminatory policing in Syracuse. It also highlights the harms of pretextual traffic stops, which are disproportionately used to target Black and Brown men, rely on racist stereotypes about criminality, and often spiral into police violence. We are calling for answers and accountability.”
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