A viral video shows the moment a white man harassed a black man taking a walk in his own neighbourhood and asked him to walk out of the neighbourhood because ”he doesn’t belong there.”
The white man, Jonathan Pentland, is a United States Army sergeant first class, and he’s currently trending on Twitter after the video went viral.
He’s being accused of being a racist and viewers have reported him to his boss.
In the video, Jonathan and his family are seen harassing and threatening a young black man, named Deandre, who explained he was just taking a walk in the neighbourhood in Columbia, South Carolina.
Jonathan asked the man to walk out of the neighbourhood and hinted at violence if he doesn’t.
P?ntland can b? heard in th? vid?o saying “What is it that you’re doing here?”
He added: “You can walk away or i’ll carry you out of here.”
The black man explained that he lives in the neighbourhood but Jonathan and his family didn’t believe him and Jonathan told him, “You’re in the wrong neighbourhood, motherf**ker.”
At some point during the encounter, Dendre tells the family to call the police and Jonathan’s wife, Cassie Pentland, tells him the police have already been called.
Jonathan and wife Cassie
Jonathan claims in the video that he knows everyone in the community since he has been living there for a long time and has never seen Deandre’s face. But public record shows he only bought the house 10 months ago.
Th? vid?o was post?d on Fac?book by a Columbia woman, Shir?ll Johnson, who said sh? was walking in th? n?ighborhood with a fri?nd, Vinn?tta Yvonn? Knight Osborn?, on Monday, April 12, 2021, wh?n sh? saw th? incid?nt unfolding.
Johnson said in a Fac?book post th? vid?o was r?cord?d by a “young lady,” Shada?, and giv?n to h?r to post onlin?. Johnson said sh?, Shada? and h?r fri?nd did not know D?andr? b?for? Monday night.
Johnson said the incident occurred on a public sidewalk in Columbia’s Summit area.
Pentland also allegedly broke Deandre’s phone after kicking and insulting him, Johnson said.
Th? vid?o ?nds as Johnson and h?r fri?nd walk up and int?rv?n?.
According to Johnson, D?andr? liv?s in th? Summit n?ighborhood not far from wh?r? th? incid?nt occurr?d in a plann?d community call?d Th? Lak?s at Barony Plac?. Sh? said h? has b??n “walking pl?nty of tim?s and h? liv?s in th? summit!”
Sh? add?d, “D?andr? was calm throughout.”
Hundr?ds of Twitt?r us?rs forward?d th? vid?o to Fort Jackson Commanding G?n?ral Milford B?agl? Jr. and asked him if such behaviours are acceptable from his staff.
General Milford responded: “This is by no means condoned by any service member. We will get to the bottom of this ASAP.”
Meanwhile, Columbia r?sid?nts hav? r?ach?d out to th? Richland County Sh?riff’s D?partm?nt asking why charg?s w?r?n’t fil?d.
On? woman wrot? on Fac?book on th? d?partm?nt’s pag?, “Why was Jonathan P?ntland only issu?d a citation for prop?rty damag? wh?n h? is on vid?o cl?arly assaulting a young man and th?r? w?r? multipl? witn?ss?s stating th?y saw th? assault? Who was th? RCSD sup?rvisor who issu?d th? dir?ctiv? not to proc??d with assault charg?s? Why w?r? th? prop?r charg?s not fil?d? Is this th? narrativ? that RCSD wants to support-that a strang?r can walk up to you during your aft?rnoon walk and assault you with no cons?qu?nc?s?”
Watch the video below.
