By Amy Kniss
Cavenia Bryant has been arrested for her involvement in the Oakland beauty shop beating posted on You Tube. “We’re close on bringing them in. We don’t want to scare them by releasing the names publicly,” said Jeff Thomason, Public Information Officer for the Oakland Police Department.
The May 5 assault took place around 5:50 p.m., but the victim, Melissa Seals, didn’t call the Oakland Police Department until around 7 p.m., Thomason reported. Officers responded and took Seals’ statement: six women entered her Oakland hair salon as Seals cut a customer’s hair, they locked the door from the inside, then two of the women proceeded to beat Seals for several minutes. Three other women watched the attack and a fourth videotaped the beating.
After giving her statement to the responding officers Seals declined to press charges or identify any of the women involved in the attack, according to OPD records. Seals’ refused to press charges for the misdemeanor assault; the officers were obligated by department policy to take a report and close the case without further investigation.
“It’s different for felonies,” said Thomason, “we can investigate those even if the victim doesn’t press charges.” The Oakland Police Department currently has 13,000 open felony investigations, which could escalate to 30,000 by the end of the year, so the department has little time to spend investigating misdemeanors. “If the victim wants to press charges,” said Thomason, “we absolutely investigate.” But with the department’s limited resources, misdemeanor cases aren’t pursued without the victim’s cooperation.
More than a month after the incident officers learned that the video, shot during the attack, had surfaced on You Tube. But without Seals corroboration, according to Thomason, the video itself wasn’t enough to warrant any arrests. Finally, Seals, at the behest of her mother who had seen the You Tube video of the beating, agreed to cooperate with officers.
Screening the video with officers, Seals admitted knowing, and identified, four of her attackers. Warrants were issued for their arrest. The women face up to a year in jail and some hefty fines. Yet, Thomason said he can’t recall a misdemeanor going to trial, other than DUIs, “they usually all plead out.”
Comments
it's about time!!!
dont do the crime if you cant do the time......
I addressed this on my blog (www.youmakemesick.typepad.com). Still don't get why this is a misdemeanor...
I be damned if some b's come in any establishment that I own and beat my a@@ and I don't press charges. The women in the video is an embarassment to all women! I hope they get some jail time with their stupid behinds!
I agree with Suga Bear! However, ole girl getting beatdown had plenty opportunities to at least TRY to fight back. As a salon worker myself, one, she could have taken her shears and stabbed or cut her a@@ up, two, turned on the high pressure hose at the shampoo bowl & burned her a@@ up with scalding hot water, or three, grabbed her Marcel Irons (hot or cold) and used them on her like a baseball bat! She is weak! NO, NOT IN MY SALON!!! The owner need to press charges & plus she can sue them for damage to herself & the salon. Duuhhhh!!! If you go go out like that, at least get paid & emabarrass them back!
The truth is most black women are angry women. They always want to fight each other. They give every good black woman a bad name. The truth is this stigmatism attached to black women won't change until their behavior does. I know I avoud most black women because I see them as angry, jealous, loud, a s purposefully hateful toward most other women due to their own insecurities. These women are just another example of black women being the cruel hateful people they are.
Hi, it's nice that you avoid black women, true enough yes there are lot of black women that are loud, angry and bitter. Therefore its because they have put up with a lot of bull in there life. You can't say that all black women are the same cause there not.Going forward, black women probably avoid you that's the real reason why you purposely avoid them, as a real man you just can't handle a black woman, you want someone that you run over, but don't forget you came from an BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN, don't forget where you came from cause you may have to go back one day.
This goes to the gentleman that states the reason why he avoids BLACK women.OOOOO, its seems like the black women are by -passing YOU!!!!. Man please don't let your mouth write a check that your A** can't cash. from a mad, loud, purposely angry black woman:)
Y WAS'NT SHE AT LEAST TRYIN 2 FIGHT BACK THEY ALREADY LIGHT WEIGHT JUMPED U AND THEY BEAT HER DATS CRAZY SHE JUST SHOULD OF WENT HARD AND JUST START SWINGIN PUT UP THROWIN IT A BEAUTY SHOP ITS 2 MUCH STUFF IN THERE 2 SMACK SUMBODY WIT!!!! WHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
SHE SHOULD OF START PICKIN UP STUFF THROWIN IT A BEAUTY SHOP ITS 2 MUCH STUFF IN THERE 2 THROW!!!! WHOOOOO!!!!
I saw the video. It made me sad to see women act so barbaric. No one should fear having malicious people come into their place of business and beat them without stringent penalties. The DA said," no one was severely hurt". I would contend t......hat the public was hurt the moment it was decided that a misdemeanor is appropriate for a group beating. The victim posed no physical threat, and also tried to walk away. Where is the justice for the wounded? What is the lesson to be learned?
It should not be a mere misdemeanor when a person is harmed by attackers. Being brutally battered should not be a requirement for justice in a violent beating. Where is justice for the victim? If more brutality is the means for a felony, then I fear the precedent that it establishes in a community already plagued with violence.Read More
Wow...can't beleive that people acutally just stood and watched this type of activity go on!!! Can't beleive with all this evidence that the DA is allowing these people to walk the streets. Hopefully no one ever treats there children the way they just treated that woman. What a waste...truely a waste remind me never to move to Okland!!!
I hope they get jail time they messed up her life, she was doing something positive making her living. How can people be so stupid? (justbeinhonest) Why even put your opinion in? You wasted your time by even putting that on here, big deal if you "avoid" black women!!! Black women are strong women that others wish they could be, ok yeah some may be violent, but not all of us are! Every race has people like these lame chicks on this video. So before you come with the sterotypes go do your research, silly guy!!!
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