Protesters gather outside Bridgewater Police Headquarters in support of Black teen in controversial mall brawl video
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. -- There are calls for justice after a controversial mall brawl in New Jersey.
Protesters, who say skin color played a role in how the two teens involved were treated, took their complaints to police Saturday.
One name repeatedly echoed across the plaza of Bridgewater Police Headquarters. Protesters chanted, "We are Kye."
The demonstrators were there to support Z'Kye Husain, an eighth grader they say was racially profiled and brutalized by a pair of police officers as seen in video taken inside Bridgewater Commons Mall earlier this month.
READ MORE: Video Of NJ Officers Breaking Up Teens' Mall Fight Raises Concerns About Racial Disparity
The 14-year old's aunt, Enrie Simms, talked about the caught-on-camera brawl between the teens that ended with police officers treating each boy differently.
The aunt explained to the crowd what led up to it.
"He was defending someone even smaller and younger than him, a seventh grader, against high schoolers," Simms said. "And he was met with not one but two knees in his back."
Police officers kneeled on and handcuffed Z'Kye, but the other boy, named Joseph, was allowed to sit on a couch, free to move about.
When interviewed, Joseph said he received much better treatment and was puzzled by it.
"I put my hands up like this and I said you guys can detain me, but she said no because you were calm," he said.
There are calls for the officers involved to be fired.
That is the outcome wanted by Z'Kye.
"If they don't know how to treat the situation and deal with the situation equally and fairly, then they shouldn't be able to deal with the situation at all," Z'Kye told CBS2 on Tuesday.
"He's so quiet and shy. Being pushed into the limelight like this, especially under the circumstances are not ideal for him," Simms said. "I'm not going to wait for my nephew to die to stand up for him."
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reacted to this case with a statement saying watching the video left him "deeply disturbed."
The Somerset County prosecutor's office is helping Bridgewater with the investigation. On Saturday, representatives from both did not comment about a case where calls for attention and justice grow louder.