Questions remain after several social media users reported an incident at Global Cafe in Crosstown Concourse Tuesday.
Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers were called to the site. The large police presence and flashing police lights attracted attention.
This left many wondering what — in general — was going on. Videos taken at the scene leave more questions for some who say MPD unnecessarily escalated the situation. Others say the people on the scene yelling at police escalated the situation.
The situation started when an employee at Global Cafe asked Rachael Spriggs to leave. When she refused, the employee called police and alerted Crosstown security. The scene spilled out into the street in front of Crosstown where a crowd shouted at police and filmed them. The situation got physical, pepper spray was released, and people went to jail.
Neither Crosstown Concourse nor Global Cafe immediately responded for comment.
The Equity Alliance, a Tennessee-based nonprofit organization, posted they were aware of the situation involving Spriggs, the agency’s Director of Powerbuilding.
“We are actively gathering details and will provide updates as we learn more. Stay tuned for more information,” the post said.
Springs went live on Facebook Tuesday in a video captioned “Global Cafe in Crosstown is a good idea in theory but they are racist as sh*t!”
In the video, Spriggs and an employee were having a verbal altercation. As Spriggs speaks to the camera the employee tells her she needs to leave or he would call the cops.
“Call the cops, call the cops – I’m fine with you calling the cops,” Spriggs said. “I’m fine with that.”
The employee then said Spriggs was not welcome there, to which Spriggs said he had no power. Another person can be heard saying that Spriggs was escalating the situation, to which she said she wanted him to call the police so she could “bring attention to his racist behavior.”
Spriggs then told viewers that the police had been called. Minutes later Spriggs showed the police showing up, who asked her to come outside. She then said that the officers informed her that “they wanted to bar her from Crosstown.”
A Crosstown officer told her she was being barred for “being disruptive” after “refusing to leave the establishment.” The officer said the employee had the right since Global Cafe is a private business.
As Spriggs continued to speak on her live, she said ‘aye don’t touch me, mane,’ as an MPD officer pulled on her jacket. The phone was dropped, and picked up by police officers. Before the live was ended, Spriggs asked why she couldn’t have her phone to which an officer told her she was being detained.
According to a post made by Spriggs Wednesday, as she was being detained “more officers arrived on the scene and completely escalated the situation.” She said officers “slammed [her] legs in the door and yanked [her] from the car.”
The post also said that officers threw her “disabled friend onto her back.” The woman has been identified as community organizer Shahidah Jones.
Facebook user Brittney King posted a live video where you can see a crowd form around Spriggs, who was in MPD custody.
An officer then touches Jones’ arm to which onlookers tell the officer to get their hands off her. A woman tries to intervene to which an officer shoves her, pushing both her and Jones to the ground.
The woman recording the video repeatedly yells that Jones is disabled.
“Why would you jump on this disabled woman? Why would you do that?” she yells. “What the hell?”
