TUSCALOOSA, AL — An online petition has already gathered over 1,000 signatures in a grassroots effort calling for the recent shooting death of a man at a Tuscaloosa hookah bar to be considered a hate crime.
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Started on Monday by Jazmine Peoples, the petition focuses on Rashid Little, a 28-year-old Tuscaloosa native and one-time student at Bryant High School.
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Patch previously reported that Little was shot and killed by a contracted security guard at CRU Lounge on Alabama Highway 69 S early Sunday morning.
As of the publication of this story, the online petition — titled Tuscaloosa CRU Hate Crime — had garnered 1,018 signatures toward its goal of 1,500.
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The details of the situation are complex and much remains unclear. Plenty has also been said on social media regarding its nuances, despite the physical altercation before the shooting and involving at least three armed security guards being captured on video and posted by multiple witnesses.
Still, a prevailing sentiment amongst eyewitnesses and those in the community claims that Little was assaulted by multiple security guards and ultimately killed for far more disturbing and insidious reasons.
“Rashid was a beautiful person inside and out, a loving soul, only 28 years old with so much life to live,” Peoples wrote on the online petition. “This was a hate crime. Rashid didn’t deserve to be murdered at the hands of a homophobic security guard at this establishment. Rashid was unarmed and did not pose a threat to any of these individuals.”
As Patch previously reported, 35-year-old West Blocton resident Arron Dewayne Hill was identified as the suspected shooter and was located shortly after the shooting, along with a Tuscaloosa County woman who’d been at the lounge at the time of the shooting.
The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit also charged Vance resident Thyais Walker, 47, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Walker’s deposition says she was charged after video evidence recovered by investigators allegedly shows her possessing the pistol that was used to kill Little.
“No assault charges have been filed against the security guards who kicked, punched, and threw Rashid around,” Peoples insisted. “There is public video showing the manager choosing to not de-escalate the violence and ignore it, allowing this hate crime to happen right in front of him. This is not just an isolated incident but a reflection of the systemic violence that has plagued our society.”
In a statement released earlier this week, CRU Lounge expressed its condolences to Little’s family and said what should have been an enjoyable night out turned into a tragedy because of the rogue and violent actions Hill — even going so far as to mention the accused by name.
“This should not have happened,” the statement said. “Our security footage confirms that Mr. Little was exiting our venue on Sunday morning and an argument ensued between him and Arron Dewayne Hill. Mr. Hill was an independently contracted security professional who was charged with protecting our patrons and our establishment. Mr. Hill violated his obligation to CRU and our patrons when he senselessly took the life of Mr. Little following their verbal altercation.”
Nowhere in the statement does it corroborate video evidence and eyewitness testimony given to Patch regarding a physical altercation involving multiple armed security guards.
In video seen by Patch and widely shared on social media, three contract security guards, including Hill, can be easily identified by their black tactical bullet-proof vests and gun belts.
While the three men are dressed and armed very much like police officers, the Tuscaloosa Police Department confirmed to Patch this week that none of the contract security guards were off-duty law enforcement.
During the tussle, though, a man identified by eyewitnesses as Little is locked up with one of the guards — Little’s arms at least halfway under the security guard’s armpits in a kind of grapple as they go to the ground with two other visibly armed security guards at Little’s back.
As the two men fell, the security guard tangled with Little had his right hand on his pistol holster.
Once Little was on the ground with the security guard, the two other armed security guards began dropping punches at Little as some patrons attempted in vain to break up the fight. At one point, one of the security guards, who was dressed in clothes and equipment that could be easily mistaken for a police officer, began to stomp Little.
This is where the widely circulated video evidence ends, without showing the shooting itself a short time later.
“CRU Lounge has failed in its responsibility to ensure public safety,” Peoples wrote. “It’s time we take action to prevent such incidents from happening again. We demand the immediate closure of CRU Lounge as it has proven itself as an unsafe environment for our community. We call upon local authorities and community members in Tuscaloosa to join us in this fight for justice for Rashid Little and public safety.”
Tuscaloosa Patch has reached out to Peoples for further comment and will update this story accordingly.
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