A video of Georgia state sheriff’s deputies on a bus has gone viral after a women’s lacrosse team shared that they feel traumatized by the officers stopping them. The Delaware State University team was traveling through Georgia after a game when their charter bus was stopped by the officers off Interstate 95.
But that’s not the odd part, the officers not only stopped the bus for allegedly driving in a lane prohibited to buses, but proceeded to remove the onboarded luggage. “We’re sitting on the bus waiting, and then one of my student-athletes says, ‘They’re pulling our luggage off of the bus,’’’ Pamella Jenkins told PBS’s WHYY on Monday. “And so we all look over, and then we see a dog sniffing and going through our belongings, going through the bags as they’re coming off of the bus.”
Jenkins said she thought, “What is going on? What is the need for this for just a traffic stop?”
While Jenkins didn’t understand why the bus was stopped, she noted that most of her team was Black, while the deputies were white.
“If there is anything in you-all’s luggage, we’re probably gonna find it,’’ the deputy said in a video captured by one of the players. They were allegedly looking for drugs and paraphernalia.
“I’m not looking for a little bit of marijuana, but I’m pretty sure you guys’ chaperones will probably be disappointed if we find it.” The officers implied they knew the girls were on a sports team.
“If there is something in there that is questionable, please tell me now because if we find it, guess what? We’re not gonna be able to help you. … Marijuana is still illegal in the state of Georgia.”
According to Jenkins, the entire incident was not captured on video. This included a question one of her students asked, she told WHYY.
“One of my student-athletes asks the question, ‘How did this go from a routine traffic stop to dogs sniffing for narcotics, animals going through our things?’ And he says on these highways that they often see charter buses smuggling narcotics or people and they have to be vigilant to stop that from happening.”
The entire incident occurred in a span of 30 minutes, officers not only pulled out intimate items during the search but even unwrapped a gift one of the girls had received from a friend. The interior of the bus was not searched, Jenkins said.
“They came on the bus and they said, ‘Okay, ladies. We didn’t find anything. You’re free to go,’’’ Jenkins recalled. “They did not apologize.”
Jenkins noted that as a Black woman she’s accustomed to people of color being pulled over and interrogated, but in this incident, she was worried for her students.
“I was more scared for my players,’’ she said. “They were kind of quiet and kind of shocked that this was happening to them when all we’re trying to do is just get home after a long road trip.”
While the incident occurred on April 20, the university’s newspaper published an article about it last week, drawing attention to it nationwide. The article was written by Sydney Anderson, a sophomore player who was on the bus.
The article resulted in a statement from Delaware State President Tony Allen, who said he has informed Delaware Gov. John Carney, the state Attorney General’s office, Delaware’s congressional delegation, and the Congressional Black Caucus about the incident.
"They, like me, are incensed," Allen wrote. "We have also reached out to Georgia Law Enforcement and are exploring options for recourse—legal and otherwise—available to our student-athletes, our coaches, and the university."
“We do not intend to let this or any other incident like it pass idly by. We are prepared to go wherever the evidence leads us. We have video. We have allies. Perhaps more significantly, we have the courage of our convictions.”
He added: “To be clear, nothing illegal was discovered in this search, and all of our coaches and student-athletes comported themselves with dignity throughout a trying and humiliating process.”
Following Allen’s letter, Carney shared that he too saw the video of the incident.
“I have watched video of this incident—it is upsetting, concerning, and disappointing,’’ he said. “Moments like these should be relegated to part of our country’s complicated history, but they continue to occur with sad regularity in communities across our country. It’s especially hard when it impacts our own community.”
According to the Delaware News Journal, when contacted Monday morning, the Liberty County Sheriff's Office said it would have a statement by the end of the day. But ultimately, nostatement was released or provided to the outlet.
The incident is not isolated. Similar incidents have taken place in which Delaware State and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities have repeatedly been victims of hate. In one incident, Howard University’s women's lacrosse team was also verbally assaulted by white boys when making their way to a game at Presbyterian College, NBC News reported. During the incident, the boys allegedly shouted: ‘If it ain’t white, it ain’t right!’”
But despite how heart-wrenching the incident is and the other several incidents POC have faced, Allen stressed not to lose hope.
“We will never be bullied into believing anything other than what we are,’’ Allen wrote. “Americans, learners, teachers, builders—useful and honorable people ready to soar.”