On August 24, 2023, the renowned advocate for civil and humanitarian rights, Dr. Rashad Richey, fearlessly reported on his nationally syndicated program Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey through the TYT Network and recently ranked the “Fastest Growing TV News Show in America”, by H.E.G. Evaluation Group, with over 3 million viewers daily, an incident of police brutality that occurred in Broward County May 7, 2022. The victim was Kianna Cooper, a Black woman who was waiting in her car when approached and assaulted by a Fort Lauderdale cop. Despite Ms. Cooper being the victim, she was charged with aggravated battery and resisting an officer with violence. However, thanks to Dr. Richey’s reporting on the matter, all charges against Ms. Cooper have since been dropped.
The anguishing words of “Sir, Please! Why are you being aggressive?” will forever be etched in the memory of Indisputable viewers as this violent scene took place. The incident began with a 911 call about a dispute over a parking spot. However, when Broward County Deputy Sheriff Steven Davis arrived at the scene, he inexplicably believed that he was investigating an assault, which prompted him to demand identification from Cooper immediately upon arrival. Kianna Cooper was innocently waiting for her friend at the beach to celebrate her birthday, but little did she know that it would turn into a nightmare in Broward County. Sheriff Deputy Davis continued to escalate the situation, making a series of demands that eventually pushed Cooper to question why she was being asked to provide her ID while being on the phone with her mother. When Deputy Davis demanded her ID again, Cooper hesitated. Tragically, that is when the horror truly began. Cooper’s lawyer, Stephen Melnick, said that had the “911 dispatcher had not mistakenly categorized it as an assault instead of a disturbing the peace call, Deputy Davis would never have had the right to ask my client for her ID,” according to South Florida Sun Sentinel.
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Within seconds, the assault on Ms. Cooper began, leaving her subjected to unimaginable brutality at the hands of Deputy Davis. These horrifying images were shared directly with the Indisputable program. Following an investigation and subsequent court hearing, Deputy Davis claimed that Ms. Cooper was non-compliant and that she was the one who attacked him. As a result, Ms. Cooper was arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. Ms. Cooper provided a statement to Dr. Richey and the Indisputable team, expressing how the incident has ruined her life. She detailed the financial burdens, the immense physical pain, and other numerous negative impacts. The Indisputable team reached out to the Broward County Sheriff’s Department to see if Deputy Davis had received any level of repercussion, they simply stated, “the incident is currently being heard in court.”
Deputy Davis’s actions occurred under the leadership of Sheriff Gregory Tony. What’s even more concerning is that this wasn’t Deputy Davis’s first incident of police brutality. Through their top-tier research, the Indisputable team uncovered that Davis had been taken to court in 2017 for forcibly arresting a man and then using a Taser on the man’s wife. This is just one of several cases that have come to light since Cooper’s assault.
Dr. Richey’s exceptional coverage of this story brought the truth to light and played a crucial role in the dismissal of all charges against Ms. Cooper. A nationally recognized scholarly figure and social scientist, Dr. Richey has been lauded by America News Now as one of the most influential voices in American culture. Dr. Richey’s credentials include being the first Political Analyst to earn an Emmy nomination at CBS News Atlanta, as well as being the daily talk radio host of the highly acclaimed Rashad Richey Morning Show on News & Talk 1380-WAOK and V-103 HD3. He was voted Best Talk Radio Personality in Atlanta by readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and named Most Trusted Voice in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Journal, making him a trailblazer as the first African American broadcaster to receive these prestigious honors. TO WATCH FULL EXCLUSIVE UPDATE, CLICK here.
Written By: Chris Smith
