Dem condemns violent arrest of black UVA student

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) took to the House floor Thursday morning to denounce the violent arrest of an African-American student at the University of Virginia this week.

The student, Martese Johnson, sustained bloody head injuries and needed 10 stitches after white Alcoholic Beverage Control agents arrested him for allegedly trying to enter an Irish pub with a fake ID early Wednesday morning near the UVA campus. It is unclear from videos of the arrest how Johnson received the injuries.

{mosads}Jackson Lee, an alumna of UVA’s law school, suggested the incident was the latest example of black Americans facing mistreatment from law enforcement.

“We have to find a way to balance law and order with the dignity of treatment of African-Americans and all people,” Jackson Lee said.

The Texas Democrat expressed solidarity with Johnson.

“I want to join him by saying that we all should be treated with human dignity, and I thank the governor of the state of Virginia for a full investigation,” Jackson Lee said.

Officials from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control have said Johnson was charged with public intoxication and obstruction of justice, but they did not offer details to the media on why he was physically forced onto the street.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s (D) office called for an investigation into the arrest on Wednesday.