Krystal Dixon dropped off her kids and nieces and nephews at the Fairfield, Ohio, pool just as she’d done many times before. Not a half hour later, the family was being rushed to the hospital after a violent altercation with local police.
The incident started so small. When one child didn’t have swimming trunks, staff demanded the family leave. Even though Dixon, pregnant and 33, said she had a swimsuit for the child, workers at the Fairfield Aquatic Center—about 25 miles north of Cincinnati—said it was too late. What was a minor breach of pool rules then descended into chaos: a White officer using pepper spray on Black teenage girls, and one 12-year-old—Dixon’s niece—being slammed against a cop car. Her family claims she has a fractured jaw and broken ribs.
Two adults were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. A 12-year-old girl was charged with assault and resisting arrest, while a 15-year-old was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
