Calls for justice are getting louder in Fairfield after viral videos showed a Fairfield police officer hitting a high school student. Community members packed Fairfield’s City Council meeting Tuesday night, including the parents of the student who was punched by the cop. Dozens of demonstrat ors first rallied outside Fairfield City Hall, chanting and calling for justice for 16-year-old Maurice Williams. The teenager was captured in viral video being hit in the head and pulled by the hair by a Fairfield police officer at Fairfield High School last week. Police were responding to a fight on campus at the time. “Too many parents are worried, too many Black children are viewed as threats before they are viewed as children,” one speaker said. Community members later filed into the City Council meeting to confront city leaders about the incident for the first time. “Maurice Williams’ parents and family members could be having a funeral arrangement at this moment,” another speaker said. Others vowed to continue speaking out. Fairfield May 22 Fairfield police announce outside investigation of incident involving officer and student Fairfield May 21 Students protest after incident between student and Fairfield PD officer Fairfield May 21 Fairfield students walk out after viral video shows incident between student and officer “We will not look away. We will not normalize this and we will not be silent. Justice for Maurice Williams,” one community member said. One student sobbed as she told council members she no longer feels protected at school. “I felt safe at school, but when this happened, I don’t feel safe anymore,” the student said. Fairfield Police Chief Dan Marshall declined to comment, but City Manager David Gassaway told community members the city recognizes the trauma caused by the incident and has hired an independent investigator. “We recognize trust in our police department takes time to build and can be eliminated in an instant,” Gassaway said. The teen’s family says they want action and will not rest until the officer involved loses her badge. “What happened to my son should never have happened,” said Rhamesha Stevenson, the teenager’s mother. “If it was your child, I feel she would already be off the force.” ...read more read less