Celena Morrison-McLean and Darius McLean, with their attorneys at a press conference Mar 7. (Screenshot/YouTube Associated Press)
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — Appearing before reporters in a press conference Thursday, the executive director of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs accused the State Police trooper who executed a violent traffic stop last weekend involving her and her husband of racial profiling.
Celena Morrison-McLean and Darius McLean, with their attorneys, said they’re considering a lawsuit following a violent incident in a traffic stop last weekend during which the couple alleges the state trooper unjustly pulled her over and arrested her and her husband because they’re Black.
“Darius and I did nothing wrong and did not deserve to be treated the way we were treated during the arrest,” Morrison-McLean said. “At a minimum, the Pennsylvania State Police owe Darius and I an apology that is equally as public as the way they disregarded our rights on Interstate 76.”
Attorneys for the McLeans told reporters that the couple picked had up a car Saturday from a family member in New Jersey, were driving in separate cars on the Schuylkill Expressway when a Pennsylvania State Police trooper pulled her over,
Pennsylvania State Police say the stop was conducted for multiple “vehicle code violations.” According to CBS Philadelphia, the trooper first approached McLean, who they said pulled up behind the trooper after his wife was stopped.
In a police report, the trooper said McLean became verbally combative toward him, but the couple’s attorney, Kevin Mincey, said the trooper was the aggressor, claiming he pulled out his service weapon and forced McLean out of the car.
Mobile phone video of what followed went viral on social media. Morrison-McLean can be heard in the background screaming for her husband as the trooper cuffed him, who was on the ground at this point. She told the trooper that she worked “for the mayor”, to which he responded: “Shut the fuck up.”
“Darius had his hands up, window down and his hazards on,” Mincey said. “He explained, ‘I stopped because you pulled over my wife.’”
Pennsylvania State Police alleged McLean refused multiple lawful orders from the trooper, who then arrested him. “There’s no resistance by Celena,” Mincey said. “No resistance by Darius.”
Morrison-McLean told the reporters gathered for the press conference: “I’ve never felt more helpless than in those moments. It’s disheartening that, as Black individuals, we are all too familiar with the use of the phrase, ‘Stop resisting,’ as a green light for excessive force by law enforcement.”
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said it’s still investigating the incident and has not made a decision about whether to pursue charges against the couple who were released.
Pennsylvania State Police confirmed that the trooper in the traffic stop has been placed on restricted duty status and is not on patrol.
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaassociation.com.
