Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D) told a disturbing story of what she alleges Ferguson police did to a pregnant woman during an interview with MSNBC's Joy Reid on Tuesday.
"There are a lot of people in this community who have been abused, who have been intimidated, who have been forced to do things that they don't want to do," Chappelle-Nadal told Reid.
"A great example is this six-month-pregnant woman who was gassed the same day as I was. And she was forced face-down to the ground, and the police officer said, 'Get down, face down on the ground.' She's six months pregnant, and that's the way basically my community has been treated, not just in the last 11 days, but for quite a long time," she added.
The Ferguson police have been criticized for the way they have been treating protesters, including using tear gas on them.
The unrest in Ferguson, stemming from the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson, became so chaotic that the National Guard was deployed to the area in an attempt to quell the situation.
Attorney General Eric Holder plans to travel to Ferguson on Wednesday, and a potential visit by President Barack Obama is not yet out of the question.