The city of Salisbury and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office have agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by Emancipate NC’s client, Stephanie Bottom, a 71-year-old librarian. In 2019, she was pulled out of her car by her hair during a traffic stop while she was driving to a funeral. Bottom claimed that she posed no threat to the police officers who stopped her for driving 80 mph in a 70 mph zone and not obeying blue lights. Her lawsuit filed in federal court stated that, in addition to the rough handling, she suffered a torn rotator cuff and a dislocated shoulder.
Bottom said she’s convinced that her race played a role in the traffic stop. “It’s a matter of driving while Black,” she told The Charlotte Observer.
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