According to the allegations made in the lawsuit, a retired teacher named Linda Stephens, who is now 70 years old, received a fractured nose while being arrested following an incident that occurred at the MidFlorida Credit Union.
After being arrested in what is being referred to as yet another instance of “banking while Black,” a woman in Florida has decided to file a lawsuit against a credit union for racial discrimination.
When 70-year-old Black retired educator Linda Stephens went into the Bartow branch of the MidFlorida Credit Union in April 2021 to enquire about an ATM deposit of $600, the situation quickly spiralled out of control. According to a recent report from The Credit Union Times, a well-known civil rights attorney named Ben Crump has filed a civil complaint against the banking institution in question.
Crump asserts that his client, who has been a member of MidFlorida for almost half a century, was subjected to racial prejudice, which led to her detention for disorderly conduct as well as maltreatment and abuse by police officers. Crump’s client was also arrested for disorderly behaviour.
At around one in the morning on April 13, 2021, Stephens used the automated teller machine (ATM) at the Bartow branch to make a cash deposit of $600 to pay her mortgage. She took a deposit receipt with her as she exited the ATM.
The complaint states that Stephens grew obviously distressed and anxious about her $600 when it still hadn’t been posted the following day after she had made two extra visits to the bank to check on it. After that, the manager of the bank stepped into the office, confronted an angry Stephens, and insisted that he calm down before proceeding to contact the police.
A short time later, a Bartow Police Department officer arrived on the scene and crouched down behind Stephens. According to the allegations made in the lawsuit, after a short pause, another officer went into the office brandishing his firearm and claiming he believed the voice on the phone indicated someone being armed. He further stated that he assumed the person carrying the pistol was someone else.
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