Outrage has been coming from out of the nation's Capitol since images of the detainment of three Black teenagers - for selling water on the National Mall in D.C. - went viral earlier this week.

The young men were handcuffed shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 22, when plainclothes policemen spotted the youths profiting off of the sale of the bottles and charged them with vending without a license. Pedestrians passing by the 12th Street and Jefferson Drive scene took pictures in protest of their having been cuffed and sat on the concrete to be processed for arrest. The teens would ultimately be released to their guardians with a verbal warning.

There has been an outcry among locals and politicians in the district, including Democratic Council member Charles Allen, who heads the public safety committee. Allen has shared a letter he sent to Park Police Chief Robert MacLean with the media. In it, Allen states that he believes the race of those detained had a lot to do with the way they were treated for such a benign offense.

"I doubt we would have seen little girls in pigtails handcuffed on the ground," the letter reads at one point, giving off the imagery of Girls Scouts selling cookies. Politically active local Tim Krepp agrees, telling reporters "There's obviously a racial disparity in how they are treating these young men and other vendors that we see on the mall."

According to U.S. Park Police Sgt. Anna Rose the teens were only cuffed to ensure the safety of both the officers and the individuals involved.

Source: youtube.com