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Lawsuits show tense relations between police, blacks in Iowa

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August 11th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — The city with Iowa’s highest African-American population has settled lawsuits against white police officers who roughed up black residents, including a 13-year-old girl who was handcuffed after yelling at a passing officer to “slow down.” Videos obtained by The Associated Press in two of the cases show questionable uses of force by Waterloo officers.

In one, an officer slams 17-year-old Malcolm Anderson face-first into a sidewalk outside a hospital and leaves him handcuffed and injured on the ground. In another, the same officer points his stun gun at a crowd of black residents before using it to shock 31-year-old Justin Jones, who’d been helping police break up a party.

The city’s insurer will pay $170,000 to settle the Jones and Anderson cases. The amount going to the girl’s family hasn’t been released.