Chikesia Clemons’ lawyers announced their plans to appeal her guilty verdict over her violent Waffle House arrest.
Clemons was the Black woman who was manhandled and assaulted by cops in April at a Waffle House in Alabama. She was found guilty on Monday of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
“It’s certainly a disappointment, but it is a challenge we are willing to meet, at every level, and we will,” said Marcus Fox, Clemons’ attorney.
Clemons was violently taken down after an employee called the police on her. She had asked to speak to a manager over utensils that were not included in her takeout order.
When the police arrived, Clemons was wrestled to the ground and her breasts were exposed. It was all caught on a video that went viral.
Mobile County NAACP President David Smith called the incident disturbing and vowed to help Clemons.
“In light of the current situation in our country — such as the arrest of two young Black men at a Philadelphia Starbucks coffee shop — we felt it was important for our members to get a first-hand account of the incident, which has now gone viral on social media locally and across the country,” Smith said in a statement.
According to AL.com, Judge Mark Erwin said that Clemons was found guilty because the facts of the case met the legal definitions required to find a person guilty. He sentenced Clemons to 10 days in jail, which will be suspended for one year of “informal probation,” and ruled that she pay $400 in fines in addition to court costs.