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Dr. Armen Henderson is a physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Henderson volunteers, administering COVID-19 tests to people experiencing homelessness in Miami. Last Friday, Henderson, who is African American, was at home loading a van with tents and other supplies to distribute to unhoused people, when a Miami Police cruiser pulled up. The officer got out, accusing Henderson of littering, and handcuffed him.
Dr. Henderson had been wearing a surgical mask for protection from the novel coronavirus, which came off during the encounter. “He was like inches from my face, yelling that I should call him sergeant and sir, and with no mask or gloves on,” Henderson told us on the Democracy Now! news hour. “I could feel his saliva on my lips.”
He went on, “While he was in my face, I pretty much kept quiet, just waiting for my wife to come. Once she came outside…he said, ‘I’m going to need to see some ID.’ She got her ID, showed him that we actually lived here, and at that point, he pretty much let me go.”
Henderson’s home security camera recorded the exchange, and, even without audio, the video went viral, provoking widespread outrage. Within 24 hours, Miami Police ... Read More →
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