A Nevada cop who confronted a deaf Black woman in her car was upset she “wasn’t following directions,” so he pulled her out of the car and forced her down on the ground, placing his knee on her back while handcuffing her in front of her two terrified daughters in 2021. But Andrea “Dre” Hollingsworth, who was born deaf, communicated mostly through sign language, reading lips and written communication.  And North Las Vegas police officer Michael Rose was wearing a neck gaiter over his mouth because the incident took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it impossible to read his lips. He also refused to allow her to communicate with him through writing.  Andrea “Dre” Hollingsworth, right, who was born deaf, was abused and arrested by North Las Vegas police officer Michael Rose, left, after she failed to hear his commands. She was just awarded $1.2 million. (Photos: Body camera and facebook.com/NLVPD) And body camera video shows Rose was more about barking orders than communicating effectively, claiming he was only watching out for his own safety – even though Hollingsworth did nothing to indicate she could be violent.  “I can’t hear,” she tried to tell him while pointing to her ears, but he didn’t care, accusing her of not following his commands. ‘This Is My House!’: Black Man Snatched Off His Own Front Porch By Cops Who Claim He Is ‘Loitering’ Then Pepper-Spray and Handcuff Him, Video Shows Last week, Hollingsworth was awarded a $1.2 million settlement over the unlawful, abusive arrest stemming from a lawsuit that accused Rose and the North Las Vegas Police Department of violating her Fourth and 14th Amendment rights as well as violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. Hollingsworth, 40, posted the following on her Facebook page on Feb. 19, announcing the settlement.  “It’s overrrrr! 4.5 years fought. NLVPD yall better never disrespect my Deaf and hard-of-hearing community again According to the lawsuit filed in federal court: Defendant Rose violently forced Ms. Hollingsworth from her car for her so-called non-compliance, shoved her to the ground, and twisted and cuffed her hands—her primary means of communication—behind her back while her daughters watched in horror and cried for him to stop.  Thus, in blatant disregard for Ms. Hollingsworth’s and her daughters’ rights under the law, Defendants discriminated against Ms. Hollingsworth, traumatized her children, and escalated what should have been a simple inquiry into a traumatic and unnecessary use of force against a deaf mother—in front of her minor children.  Defendants’ failure to provide Ms. Hollingsworth with any effective means of communication, and their insistence on using her minor children as interpreters, caused Ms. Hollingsworth to suffer physical and emotional harm, and her daughters to experience emotional distress. Watch the video below. ‘You’re Not Listening’ The incident took place on April 7, 2021, after police received a call from a woman accusing Hollingsworth of stalking her.  But Hollingsworth’s daughters explained to police they were just trying to get the woman to pay them $200 in rent money owed to them after they moved out of the woman’s apartment. The video shows Hollingsworth had no idea why she was being confronted, repeatedly asking the cop to explain, but Rose insisted she sit on the curb before he could explain anything. And Hollingsworth, of course, was unable to hear him or read his lips. “Sit down or I will sit you down,” Rose tells a confused Hollingsworth before forcing her down and handcuffing her as her two 11-year-old twin daughters began crying. “One of you guys need to talk some sense into her,” Rose tells the daughters who continue crying.  After she is handcuffed, Hollingsworth asks the cop, “why?” “Why? Because you’re not listening,” he responds — apparently ignorant of her hearing disability. Rose then tells a supervisor on his radio in his car that he pulled her out of the car because she got physical with him – but the videos do not show that. “And she gets out her phone and starts filming and is overly dramatic,” he says.  “And I say, ‘OK, that’s fine, I’m recording too but I need to get some information,’” he continues. “She’s like, ‘nope,’ and pushes my hand … but out of the car.” Despite his attempts to criminalize her, Hollingsworth was released from custody with no charges. Rose has since been promoted to sergeant. The settlement also requires the North Las Vegas Police Department to provide mandatory training to officers on how to deal with people who are deaf. “Ms. Hollingsworth’s constitutional harm would have been avoided if Defendant North Las Vegas had enacted adequate policies and/or adequate training and supervision,” the claim states. “No member of the public should be subjected to force and trauma because a police officer refuses to communicate with them; both federal statutory law and the United States Constitution protect citizens against the conduct at issue in this lawsuit.” The city of North Las Vegas issued the following statement to local media. “The training helps officers understand the unique communication needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community. Additionally, the North Las Vegas Police Department contracts with ASL Communications to send an American Sign Language interpreter to scenes when needed.” ‘You’re Not Listening!’: Nevada Cop Yanks Deaf Black Mom from Car for ‘Not Following Orders’ — Then Slams Her to the Ground In Front of Her Two Terrified Children, Video Shows ...read more read less