The husband of a top Philadelphia city official screamed "it's because I'm Black" as he was pinned to the ground by a police officer following a traffic stop.
A video of the incident, circulating on social media, shows Celena Morrison's husband, Darius McLean, being handcuffed by a cop before the official, who is Philadelphia's executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs, was arrested too. In the clip, recorded by Morrison, she can be heard saying "I work for the mayor" and "that's my husband" before the police officer heads towards her to detain her as well.
The arrest happened on Saturday. They have both been released without charge. In the distressing arrest, McLean can be seen lying on the side of the highway. He then shouts: "Please just stop. It's because I'm Black." "It's not cause you're Black," the cop replies. "Yes, it is!" Morrison says, before adding: "I don't know why this is happening. We ain't done nothing wrong."
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The incident was filmed by the city official (6abc)
Darius McLean was pinned to the floor during the arrest (6abc)The officer then heads towards Morrison and at that point, her phone falls to the ground. But while nothing can be seen, as the camera points towards the sky, it is still possible to hear the audio. The cop tells Morrison: "Turn around. Give me your hands or you're getting tased."
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The city official then tells her husband not to worry before saying in the video: "He just punched me." She later says: "What is going on? Why are you so aggressive?"
After picking up the phone, the cop explains: "This was a simple traffic stop cause you didn't have your lights on. You didn't have your lights on and you're tailgating."
Celena Morrison is Philadelphia's executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs (6abc)After the video was published online, Pennsylvania mayor Cherelle L. Parker wrote on X, formerly called Twitter, and Facebook: "Earlier today, a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper executed a car stop on the Vine Street Expressway in Philadelphia, reportedly for a Motor Vehicle Code violation. Celena Morrison, the City’s executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs, was in the vehicle that was stopped.
"A video circulating on social media that depicts a portion of the incident is very concerning to me, and I will have no further comment until the investigation has been completed." Pennsylvania State Police did not identify Morrison or her husband by name but said the car was stopped on I-76 westbound at around 9am for a vehicle with multiple violations.
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McLean said he was being arrested as he is Black (6abc)
A video of the incident is now part of the investigation (6abc)They said the officer initially pulled over a grey Infinity sedan - possibly driven by Morrison - before a green Dodge sedan - thought to be driven by McLean - pulled up behind the cop's car. The officer said the Dodge driver was "verbally combative" and "resisted arrest" - and at that point, Morrison began recording the incident.
The police force said two Philadelphia residents, ages 35 and 51, were arrested for resisting arrest, obstruction of justice, disorderly conduct, and related charges. State police said: "The trooper approached the Dodge and the operator of the vehicle became verbally combative toward the trooper.
"The individual refused multiple lawful orders made by the trooper and the trooper subsequently attempted to place the individual under arrest. The individual resisted arrest on multiple occasions." Police added Morrison "interfered with the trooper's attempt at making an arrest" so they were both taken into custody, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The cop approaches the camera (6abc)Morrison became executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs in 2020, after serving as a commissioner of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. According to his LinkedIn page, McLean has more than a decade of experience working with young people in the LGBTQ community.
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The video of the incident on Saturday was described as "deeply disturbing" by at-large City Councilmember Rue Landau, the first openly LGBTQ member of City Council, who wrote in a statement shared on social media: "The footage is alarming. As we wait for more information about the incident, my office and I will continue to stay in touch with the Parker administration, the state and other city officials to ensure transparency and to investigate further."
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