“Insecure” star Kendrick Sampson has gone viral after sharing a video of him being assaulted by Colombian police this week.
The video was initially posted to Instagram by Colombian actress Natalia Reyes. In the video, two police officers in Cartagena can be seen surrounding Sampson, who is accompanied by an unidentified man. An officer can be seen punching Sampson to the ground.
The shocking encounter continues with the officer drawing his weapon on the activist before being led away in handcuffs.
According to Sampson, he has been randomly stopped by police six times in the last five days. In his post, he highlights the reality of Black Colombians, stating clearly that this incident is not an isolated one.
“Cartagena is AMAZING but this is the 6th time I was stopped in 5 days,” Sampson wrote in a post shared to Instagram. “It happens to Black Colombians often. I’m told stopping is policy but what is NOT is they reached down my underwear aggressively, slap my arms 5 times hard, punch me in my jaw and pull his gun on me. He then cuffed me and dragged me through the streets. I did not resist any legal procedure.”
He continued: “This is a violation of human rights that happens every day with no accountability. My heart hurts for people here, in the US and worldwide who get abused in the shadows (or in broad daylight with no accountability) and don’t have that protection.”
In a statement provided to Columbian national newspaper, El Tiempo, Cartagena’s police commander, defended his officers. General Henry Sanabria Cely says the officer engaged in “legitimate” use of force during a search, claiming that Sampson had resisted the search and tried to reach into a bag.
Cely added that Sampson was cited for disrespecting authority and contempt of an officer and that the police had alerted U.S. officials in Cartagena.
