The mayor of Pittsburgh spoke for many when he said the video footage made him physically ill.
“Viewing the video of two black women from our community being assaulted made me sick,” Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said on Twitter. “We cannot be a civilized society and tolerate any violence against women.
“We must come together as one unified community and end all violence against women. All of us.”
However, many are outraged that the charges are just misdemeanors, and that issue was addressed during a protest rally at the site of the violence.
Black Political Empowerment Project CEO Tim Stevens called the simple assault charges “a slap in the face to black women,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report.
“First of all, I’m stating this is one of the most outrageous incidents I’ve ever seen on video,” he said. “It’s an outrage.”
