Mauricelm-Lei Millere

The leader of a group calling itself the Black Nationalist Network has scheduled events in Charlotte on Saturday to draw attention to the case of Tanisha Williams, an 18-year-old woman who was somehow left comatose after being arrested on charges of shoplifting.

Not only is Mauricelm-Lei Millere alleging that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police brutally beat the teen, he also alleges that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is attempting to cover up what happened by doctoring video footage that appears to show Williams strangling herself with a seatbelt in the back seat of a patrol car.

“Common sense tells you that this [video] was fixed,” Millere told Qcitymetro.com. “I definitely do not believe that she could do this to herself while she is handcuffed and her hands are behind her back. Only a fool would believe that, or ignorant people.”

Tanisha Williams

Williams was arrested at a clothing store on Dec. 5 after being accused of stealing a $14 shirt. While in police custody, the teen slipped into a coma, sparking immediate speculation of police brutality.

Earlier this week, CMPD allowed Williams’ grandmother, the family’s lawyer and members of the media to view video taken by a dashboard camera mounted inside the patrol car. CMPD officials said the footage clearly showed Williams strangling herself.

Attorney William H. Harding, who is representing the teen’s family, has viewed the footage and said he sees no evidence of police tampering. He said he also disagrees with Millere’s allegations that police beat Williams.

“I’ve looked at their flyer, and it talks about police brutality and police harassment,” Harding said. “I disagree that that is applicable to this case. This case is not like the Rodney King case, where clearly there were intentional acts by law enforcement…This is a totally different type of issue.”

Harding said he believes that police, instead, were negligent in leaving Williams unattended in the patrol car, which seems to be in violation of CMPD’s written policy.

Millere, the Black Nationalist leader, said he was traveling from Washington, D.C., Saturday to hold a press conference in front of the Freedom Drive store where Williams was arrested. He said the group also would hold a rally Saturday at the Wallace Pruitt Recreation Center at 6 p.m.

Millere said he learned about the incident from media reports and decided to take action after receiving dozens of phone calls from people who, he said, witnessed Williams’ arrest but declined to give their names or contact information because “they feared for their lives.”

“They said that this young girl was beaten and that she was motionless before they even put her in the police car,” he said.

Harding, the family's attorney, disagrees. He said he has spoken with a number of identified witnesses and that none of them reported seeing police beat Williams. In addition, he said the police tape shows a handcuffed Williams clearly conscious – and highly agitated – inside the police car.

Millere blasted local religious leaders saying they have not done enough to address the injustice he believes occurred against Williams.

“I think that it’s terrible that the Christian preachers in that community or the other ministers – or those that call themselves preachers but are nothing but hypocrites – have not said anything about this or stood up… for what happened to this young girl,” he said.

Millere said he reached out to St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church seeking support for his effort, and the Charlotte Post reported that a Saturday evening rally had been planned at St. Paul. But when Qcitymetro contacted the church, an administrative assistant said no rally was scheduled there and that the church had no comment about the Williams case.

As for the rally that Millere said is planned at the Wallace Pruitt Recreation Center, an employee at the center told Qcitymetro that she was unaware of any such event.

“The center is closed at [5 p.m.],” the employee said. “So, if somebody is doing it, it’s after hours and we don’t know anything about it.”

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