William McNeil Jr.’s case has taken on national interest as the viral video of his violent arrest has now been viewed millions of times across just about every single social media platform and cable news. Commentary about the incident has been continuous, but to this point, we haven’t heard from McNeil about how he’s feeling and what his thoughts are several days removed from his harrowing experience.
However, ABC News Live Prime landed an exclusive interview with the 22-year-old Jacksonville, Florida, resident who is clearly still reeling from the wanton attack.
“I don’t drive anymore,” he said. “Just because I don’t trust cops, anymore. I’m still scared. I can’t get sleep at night because of trauma. I have flashbacks and nightmares.”
McNeil has retained the legal services of attorney Harry Daniels in addition to those of ubiquitous civil rights attorney Ben Crump, both of whom stood next to McNeil as he addressed a crowd of supporters during a press conference following the television interview.
Crump also addressed the crowd with demands for justice and the immediate termination of all officers involved in the unnecessary attack against McNeil saying:
“If you don’t terminate this officer and you condone this type of police excessive force, then it sends a message to all of the other police officers on the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office team. It tells them, it is OK for you to treat citizens like this, it is okay to treat Black motorists like this,” Crump said. “In America, it is not OK.”
William McNeil Jr. has a bright future ahead of him as he is currently a student and a member of the marching band at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina. His parents, mother Latoya Solomon and stepfather Alton Solomon, were both deeply traumatized by what those “blue lives” did to their Black son. Latoya Solomon gave praise to God for protecting her son against death saying, “I’m thankful to God for protecting him, because I know what the outcome could have been.” Alton Solomon was distraught as he thought back to the time when he was William’s age, “To see that video made me go back to the moment when I was 22. It hurt,” he said.
We fully expect legal action against the city of Jacksonville, JSO, and Sheriff TK Waters, who has gone on the record to defend the blue boys over this young Black man. We hope they all pay dearly for their transgressions.
