Black Lives Matter Protest Disrupts Roswell Council Meeting (VIDEO)

ROSWELL, GA - A sparsely attended Roswell City Council meeting was disrupted by a small, but vocal group of Black Lives Matter activists expressing outrage over an incident involving an officer punching a woman following a traffic stop.

The citizens were rallying around Shanita Maeberry, who was one of two motorists arrested following a Nov. 9 traffic stop.

Roswell police previously told Patch that Maeberry, who admitted to smoking marijuana inside a vehicle along Alpharetta Highway, allegedly struck officer James Van Alstine as she resisted arrest.

In turn, Van Alstine "subsequently struck Maeberry once in her face to gain control," the agency said, adding officers immediately deescalated the situation.

Maeberry suffered a broken jaw and wrote on her Facebook page that her mouth will be wired shut for eight weeks.

Throughout the meeting, several protesters shouted, "Justice for Maeberry!, "fire Alstine today!" and black lives matter here!"

At the tail end of the protest, Roswell City Councilmember Marcelo Zapata, who is in his first term, came down from the dais and spoke on camera to the activists.

"We hear you," he said. "We are going to look into it."

He also went on to say he appreciated the citizens' efforts to bring the incident to the attention of city leaders. Patch has reached out to Roswell Mayor Jere Wood for comment, and is waiting to hear back.

Roswell police spokesperson Lisa Holland said the agency continues to investigate the incident and "we have an open dialog with the family."

You can watch the full video of the protests, which was posted on the Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta Facebook page, below.

Images|video|screenshots via Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta's Facebook page