A protest demanding the firing of the Roswell police officer who broke a woman's jaw during a recent arrest has been organized by Black Lives Matter Greater Atlanta.
The protest is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at Roswell City Hall, according to the organization's event page. A city council meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The group has outlined five demands, which include calls for the release of all videos related to the case, the termination of Officer Jim Van Alstine, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to conduct a full investigation, the officer to be arrested and for him to be drug tested.
Police are investigating the incident that left Shanita Maeberry injured.
According to reports, Van Alstine smelled marijuana coming from the open windows of a car at a Starbucks on Alpharetta Highway Nov. 11. He pulled the vehicle over at a nearby Shell gas station, and the drug was found inside the vehicle.
Van Alstine attempted to place Maeberry under arrest, "but she began to resist arrest by pulling away from him," according to a statement from the city, which includes links to dashcam and body camera footage.
"Maeberry was instructed multiple times to stop, but she continued to resist by flailing her arms at the officers and punching Officer Van Alstine in his face," the statement said. "Officer Van Alstine subsequently struck Maeberry once in her face to gain control. The Officers immediately deescalated their use of force."
Maeberry was charged with possession of marijuana and felony obstruction of an officer.
Black Lives Matter Greater Atlanta chapter president Sir Maejor Page said the case was "damn near" that of Sandra Bland, who was arrested after a physical and verbal confrontation ensued following a routine stop for a minor traffic violation in 2015. She was later found hanged in her jail cell.
"Although this did not result in death, it did result in severe bodily harm," Page said.
Roswell Police Department was closed Friday and unavailable for comment.
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