Fort Collins Woman in ‘Body Slam’ Video Shares Story on GMA
The video of Michaella Surat being body slammed by a Fort Collins police officer has gone viral, and now she and her parents are sharing her side of the story on national television.
A short video of the incident, which (appropriately) took place outside Bondi on April 6, went viral last week, and there's no doubt that since then, there has been a rift in our Fort Collins community.
I've seen a lot of people standing in support of local law enforcement, while others say the use of force was excessive.
While Fort Collins Police are thoroughly investigating additional body cam footage, some Colorado State students are rallying to support Surat, according to CSU's student media newspaper.
Surat, 22, tearfully shared the consequences she's faced as a result of the incident for the first time, exclusively, on ABC's Good Morning America. Fort Collins Police were not interviewed by ABC, but they have issued a statement.
EDIT: I just want to interject that I shared this piece of news so you could hear another perspective of the story. Form an educated opinion, and feel free to share it, but I ask that you do it kindly. Remember that when you comment, you're speaking about two individuals who are a part of our community, people with friends and family who see cruel, derogatory comments -- so be considerate of that, OK?
Whether you side with Surat or the police officer involved, I think it's important to remember that because of that video, both of them have to deal with this in the national spotlight, and that's not and easy thing to go through.