Clearfield Security Guard Calling Middleton a "Liar."
Clearfield, PA. On October 21st Danasha Middleton entered the Clearfield County Courthouse with the intent of speaking with the public defender's office about a hate crime that she was a victim in; as well as a separate case that she was charged in. She was directed by the NAACP Johnstown president to obtain the denial of a public defender letter from the courthouse for documentation purposes after she was told that she did not qualify for a public defender in her case; she had also been instructed by the district attorney's office to go to Office of Victim Witness regarding the case that she was a victim in. According to Middleton, the perpetrator of the hate crime that she was the victim of had all the charges dropped and only had to pay a $250 fine for what was done to Middleton. Middleton visited the courthouse to get updates on her ongoing case. This was the third time that Middleton had entered the courthouse regarding this specific case.
When Ms. Middleton entered the courthouse, she was greeted by security and walked through the metal detectors. She informed the security guards that she was there to speak with the Office of Victim Witness and the public defender's office. As she walked down the hall, she heard a security guard yelling after her as she entered the Office of Victim Witness. As Middleton begins meeting with the victim advocate staff, the security guard enters the office and confronts her about being there.
This is where the first recording of the altercation between Middleton and the security guard begins. “I pull out my phone and begin to record because no one is coming to my defense and I already knew if I didn’t record no one would believe me and paint me out to be the irate aggressive black woman that they always try to do” explained Middleton when she was asked to describe the events that happened.
The security guard begins to question Middleton on why she was in the Office of Victim-Witness if she was there to see the public defender. The video shows that as Middleton tries to explain to the security officer why she was there, he begins to call her a “liar” and tells her that she was “in here the other day causing me problems.”
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In the video, Middleton tells the security guard to get a “police escort” if he believes that she did anything wrong. The next video then cuts to Middleton walking down the hallway after meeting with the victim advocate staff. As Middleton enters the hallway, the security guard begins telling her that the police are coming and that she needs to stay put. Middleton responds by saying that the police officers can meet her upstairs in the Public Defender's office when they arrive. As Middleton approaches the stairs, the county sheriff, Michael Churner, and his deputies arrive. “There she is Mike” yells the security guard. Churner then instructs Middleton to come towards him and interrupts her when she tries to explain where she was going. “You tell this man where you go and you go there.”
Middleton states that she has the whole incident on video, and explains that she told the security guard that she was going to see “victim witness and public defender” when she entered the courthouse.
Churner then tells Middleton that if she has business with the public defender, then she should go attend to it. The security guard begins yelling at Churner as she tries to walk towards the stairs and, once again, begins calling her a liar repeatedly and states that she is “lying to the community.”
Middleton then makes a comment to the sheriff's deputies and the security guards about how she is unable to take the elevator because the sheriff's office was occupying the elevator and placing their rifles inside. She tells the group of officers that the stairs are more challenging for her because she has a chronic illness. The security guard responds by mocking Middleton by claiming that she is “mentally ill.”
When she confronts the security guard about his offensive comment and explains that it was “discriminatory against people with a mental health condition”, the security guard responds by telling Middleton that she herself is “being racist” even though she never mentioned anything pertaining to the race of the security guard.
The next video posted by Middleton shows the security guard saying “you people” which prompts a response from Middleton asking what he meant by his comment, and he replied, “people like your category.”
The videos posted by Middleton have received over a million views on TikTok, and most of the comments were in support of Middleton. When some commenters questioned her about her chronicle illness, Middleton responded in another video saying:
“I have a chronically ill condition which means that it cannot be cured. There are times where I am great for weeks, and other times where I am out of commission for months. You don’t me, and you don’t my condition.”
TikTok users in support of Middleton created their own call to action such as calling the courthouse, contacting the Clearfield Sheriff's office, and leaving negative reviews of the courthouse on Google. Although, it appears that Google is removing these negative reviews. Other TikTok users began messaging Churner’s Facebook Page, which now appears to be deleted in response.
The altercation between Middleton and the security guard is all too common for Black Americans and Black women like Middleton; and, as a result, has caused her to feel unsafe visiting the courthouse alone. “All in all, as a black woman, I am unprotected and this entire altercation caused me to break down on the street while waiting for the borough police to come and escort me because no one protected me; and while all of this was happening, the rest of the staff on that floor were in the office looking through the glass window and laughing at me. I was humiliated and unprotected.”
Middleton also expressed that she hopes that by sharing these videos that she can serve as a role model to her four siblings by getting justice in this ordeal. Middleton attends school full-time at Community College of Allegheny County where she is studying to become a neonatal nurse, and she does not have a criminal record.
For Middleton, she hopes that by sharing her story that she can help bring justice and serve as inspiration for other Black women by showing that their lives matter.
“I just want to show other little black girls and women that our lives matter too, no matter how much people try to take our value from us. I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on my worst enemy because it has affected me like you wouldn’t believe; but at the end of the day, I’m never able to be the victim. I always either have to be the ‘irate, loud, ghetto, aggressive, black woman’ or the ‘strong independent black woman’ who is forced to take the mistreatment and disrespect; and it’s sad because I’m so much more than all of that. Black women are so much more than that and we deserve to be treated better.”
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As the author of this article, I want to personally thank Ms. Middleton for taking the time to speak with me about her experience and allowing me to write about it. Incidents like these happen every day in America for Black people, and they often go unnoticed. By sharing her story, Middleton is shedding a light on the daily racism faced by Black Americans.
