Lauren Rowello | PHILADELPHIA, PA – A video uploaded to Facebook shows an altercation between state troopers and two prominent LGBTQ+ leaders in Philadelphia. Serena Morrison, Executive Director of the Philadelphia LGBT Office, was stopped by a state trooper on the Vine Street Expressway on the morning of March 2 and subsequently taken into police custody.
Morrison’s sister told PGN that Morrison was pulled over for “not having his lights on while following closely,” a claim backed up by a video Morrison recorded of the incident. Morrison’s husband, Darius McLean, deputy COO of the William Way LGBT Community Center, was also at the scene and was taken into custody.
“My sister started recording when the officer became aggressive,” said Morrison’s sister, who uploaded the video to Facebook. The video shows portions of a traffic stop. It is unclear what happened before Morrison started recording. Morrison’s sister said that during the stop, McLean was following his wife’s car in another vehicle and pulled up behind her during the stop.
Morrison told her sister that after officers “pulled him out of the car,” Morrison got out of her car and explained that McLean was her husband.
“She started recording the moment the officer pulled out his Taser,” Morrison’s sister explained.
In the video, detailed below, Morrison accuses the officers of punching her and pointing their guns at her. In the video, the officers say they are arresting both McLean and Morrison for “resisting force.”
Philadelphia police confirmed that Morrison and McLean were taken to Philadelphia Police Headquarters at 400 N. Broad St. They were processed, charged with disorderly conduct and held until approximately 9 p.m. on March 2, according to Morrison’s sister.
“I’m concerned for her safety because she’s transgender,” Morrison’s sister told PGN. She’s especially concerned about the way the officer lunged at her to record, as seen in the video. One commenter responded to the video on Facebook, saying, “This is outrageous. This should be reported directly to the Governor’s office.”
What you’ll learn from the video
The video begins with Morrison repeatedly saying, “That’s my husband” as an officer kneels on McLean’s back as he lies in a fetal position on the asphalt in the rain. The officer instructs McLean to put his hands behind his back. McLean says, “I don’t know why you’re doing this,” before frantically trying to reassure Morrison, “It’s OK, it’s OK.”
Morrison repeatedly told the officers, “I work for the mayor!” As the officers handcuffed McLean’s other hand, McLean appeared to be terrified and tried to protect his face with his other arm. The officer struck McLean’s hand with his fist and pointed at Morrison. The officer yelled, “Stand back!” as he placed McLean’s hands behind his back and finished handcuffing him.
McLean begged the officer to stop, saying, “Because I’m black,” to which the officer reportedly responded, “It’s not because you’re black. It’s because you came at me.”
The officer then lets go of McLean, approaches Morrison, tells him to “turn around” and makes a lunging motion as if to grab Morrison. The camera shakes and faces skyward for the remainder of the footage. The officer yells, “Give me your hands or I’ll tase you!” as Morrison and McLean can be heard screaming.
The officer says, “Stay there!” to which McLean replies, “I’m there! You’re not going anywhere!” and again tries to reassure Morrison, saying, “Serena, it’s OK, baby.” Morrison says she doesn’t know why this is happening and repeatedly insists they haven’t done anything wrong.
“And she said, ‘He just hit me. He just hit me.'” Officers appear to stand near McLean and Morrison as Morrison asks what’s going on and McLean screams for help. Officers notify dispatch that they are detaining the two.
“I was just coming to get my glasses,” McLean calmly told the officer, to which the officer replied, yelling, “Leave him alone!”
Mr McLean became more frantic, saying: “I just need my glasses”, to which the officer yelled: “Don’t grab anything!” Mr Morrison reassured him to “stay still”.
The officer said, “Stay there! If you move you will be taken down.”
McLean was asked to stand up but said she could not. Morrison said she would call the mayor’s office when she was done. She stood up and asked the officer to take the phone. The officer yelled, “This is a simple traffic violation for failure to turn on your lights. You didn’t have your lights on and you were following closely.”
McLean tried to defend himself by saying, “I wasn’t following closely!” but the officer reiterated to Morrison, “It was just a traffic stop.” The officer appeared to tell McLean, “I don’t know who you are, so don’t come near me.”
“You were trying to Taser me. You pointed a gun at me,” Morrison says. “Because you were fighting with me,” the officer says, which Morrison denies. The officer then says he is arresting both McLean and Morrison for “resisting.”
Response from Philadelphia and national leaders
Mayor Sherrell Parker A statement was issued X (formerly Twitter) wrote:
“Early this morning, Pennsylvania State Police troopers conducted a motor vehicle stop on the Vine Street Expressway in Philadelphia, reportedly for a suspected motor vehicle violation. The vehicle being stopped was occupied by the city’s LGBT Executive Director, Serena Morrison.”
“We are extremely concerned by the video footage that has been circulating on social media depicting part of the incident. We will not be making any further comment until our investigation has been completed.”
State Assemblyman Malcolm Kenyatta spoke about the incident at a Human Rights Campaign Greater Philadelphia dinner on Saturday night, stressing the need for a thorough investigation.
Kelly Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a national organization that advocates for the LGBTQ+ community, also stressed the need for a thorough investigation, telling PGN that important details are often overlooked in situations like this. She retweeted the mayor’s tweet. He called the incident “disturbing.”
“When Philadelphia’s LGBTQ Executive Director Serena Morrison can’t even drive down the streets of Philadelphia without being harassed by police, we are in a state of emergency,” she said in her speech.
Galaei executive director Tyrell Brown accepted the award on behalf of the organisation and in his speech told the audience that Mr Morrison and Mr McLean had only just been released from police custody.
Brown told PGN that leaders and advocates in the LGBTQ+ community are working to “ensure transparency and safety for these two extremely valued members of our community.”
They said the situation shows that official titles do not protect people from abuse, but that all people within the queer community need and have the right to access safety and support mechanisms without any barriers.
“The few seconds we miss could mean the difference between life and death,” they said, emphasizing the importance of working together to ensure all members of the queer community have access to resources that promote safety and equity, “the same kind of civility, the same kind of respect and deference that other communities deserve and have received.”
Pennsylvania State Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Philadelphia Police directed PGN to its public information office, which did not appear to be open as of March 2. An officer told PGN, “We are unable to comment at this time.”
This is a developing story.
The above article previously appeared in Philadelphia Gay News and is reprinted with permission.
