Letters 4 the Lost

On april 29, 2017 Jordan Edwards a 15 year old African American boy was murdered by police officer Roy Oliver in Texas. He was riding in the passenger’s seat of a vehicle along with two of his brothers and two friends, and was shot in the back of the head. He was unarmed. 

Initial reports stated that the officers were responding to a call about a party where underage drinking occurred. Upon arrival officers allegedly heard gunfire and Roy Oliver then shot Edwards. Video footage of the incident showed the car moving away from police officers, posing no threat. 

The officer who shot Edwards was charged with murder on may 5, 2017. On august 28, 2018 Roy Oliver was found guilty of Edwards’ murder and the day after he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. 

15 years. This is white privilege. Carmine Edwards said “He can actually see life again after 15 years, and that’s not enough because Jordan can’t see life again.” 

Even though the conviction was a victory and a step towards justice. We need to do more. There have been countless cases where white police officers kill black unarmed men but they are rarely convicted. “This case is not just about Jordan. It’s about Tamir Rice. It’s about Walter Scott. It’s about Alton Sterling. It’s about every African American who have been killed and who have not gotten justice” - Daryl Washington, Jordan’s family attorney 

Jordan Edwards was a 15 year old boy who lived in Balch Springs, Texas. He was a first year student at Mesquite High School. He was a child. He was unarmed. He did in no way deserve to die. 

Love and strength to the family.

Jordan Edwards. We will never forget your story. We will never forget your name. 

References 

Karimi, Faith, and Emanuella Grinberg. “Texas Ex-Officer Is Sentenced to 15 Years for Killing an Unarmed Teen.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 Aug. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/08/29/us/texas-jordan-edwards-death-sentencing-phase/index.html.

On November 22, 2018 Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr was murdered on thanksgiving night at the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall in Hoover Alabama. He was shot 3 times from behind by police officers when gunfire broke out. Police said they had identified Bradford as their suspect and thought he had gotten hold of a gun. 

Ben Crump, the Bradford family lawyer stated that the autopsy clearly demonstrated that EJ posed no threat to the off-duty Hoover police department officer who killed him while working a private security detail at the mall. He went on to say:

“The findings are devastating and heartbreaking to EJ’s family, compounding the shattering impact of this unnecessary and unwarranted killing” 

In the days following the incident peaceful protest broke out demanding #justiceforEJ. The Bradford family stated that before the private autopsy they had no idea what had happened to their son and had asked the police department several times to release any information. 

Emantic Bradford Sr said “what happened to my son and how he was murdered, cause that’s what I’m going to say. He was murdered” 

The police department claimed that releasing videos and other information of the incident would compromise the justice process for everyone involved and the officer involved has not been named. This was clearly an attempt to protect themselves. 

Ben Crumps statement said “EJ’s senseless death is the latest egregious example of a black man killed because he was perceived to be a threat due to the colour of his skin. This tragically unacceptable pattern will not end until all who bear a measure of responsibility are held accountable” 

EJ Bradford was 21 years old and attended Holy Family Cristo Rey High School and earned his diploma through the General Educational Development program. He had enlisted in the U.S army in 2017 and completed basic training. He worked full time and was a caretaker of his father who was battling cancer. He was not a threat. He was a person and his life mattered. 

Love and strength to the family. 

Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. We will never forget your story. We will never forget your name. 

References 

Shah, Khushbu. “EJ Bradford Was Shot Three Times from behind by Officer, Autopsy Reveals.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Dec. 2018, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/03/ej-bradford-alabama-police-mall-shooting-autopsy.

“Surveillance Video Shows the Moment EJ Bradford Was Fatally Shot.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 5 Feb. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/video/surveillance-video-shows-the-moment-emantic-e-j-bradford-jr-was-fatally-shot-at-alabama-mall-1437711939925.

In the late evening of march 18th, 2018, Stephon Clark, a 22 year old black American man was shot and killed in Sacramento by Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet, two Sacramento Police Officers. He was in his grandmother’s backyard with a phone in his hand. 

The encounter was filmed by police video cameras and a department helicopter involved in observing Clark. The officers stated that they shot Stephon Clark believing that he pointed a gun at them. He was unarmed and only had his cellphone in hand. They also stated that Stephon was the suspect responsible for breaking windows in the area prior to the encounter. 

This young man was shot 8 times, including 6 times in the back. The officers were placed on paid administrative leave and the Sacramento police department opened a use of force investigation. On march 2nd, 2019 the Sacramento district attorney, Anne Marie Schubert, stated that the officers would not be charged and that they had probable cause to use lethal force and thus their actions were legally justified. 

“When we look at all of these facts and circumstances” district attorney Anne Marie Schubert said, “we ask ourselves, was a crime committed?”

“The answer is no”

District attorney Anne Marie Schubert is wrong. There is no question of the fact that Stephon Clark was innocent, unarmed and did in no way deserve to die. Stephon graduated from Sacramento High School and was on the football team. He had been arrested prior to the incident but according to his brother he really changed his life. 

Regardless of prior offences this young man did not deserve to die and white police officers should not have the power to decide when an innocent black man dies. Once again police officers committ murder and are not held accountable. This is absolutely disgusting. Stephon was a person no matter his background and his life mattered. We will remember this gross misconduct and keep fighting for justice. 

Love and strength to the family.

Stephon Clark. We will never forget your story. We will never forget your name.

Please listen to episode 14 “How to Make Police Brutality Illegal” of Shaun King’s The Breakdown on apple podcast or spotify to learn more about how the system allows white police officers to not be held accountable for their crimes and what you can do to help. 

References 

“Shooting of Stephon Clark.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Stephon_Clark.

Kempa, David. “Stephon Clark: Police Officers Who Shot Man Eight Times Will Not Be Charged.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Mar. 2019, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/02/stephon-clark-police-officers-no-charges.

Terence Crutcher was shot and killed by Betty Shelby, a Tulsa police officer on september 13th 2016 at around 7:40 pm. A video was released on september 19th depicting the encounter, where Terence Crutcher can be seen unarmed with his hands in the air getting shot and killed by the white police officer. 

Officer Shelby’s lawyer Scott Wood said that Betty Shelby had thought that Terence Crutcher was armed and that he refused to comply with orders, acting erratically. Shelby had encountered Terence and called for backup and Officer Turnbough and his partner responded. It can be seen in the video that when the second car arrived Terence Crutcher had his hands raised and was walking away from officer Shelby who had a gun pointed to his back. Mr Crutcher was shot less than 30 seconds after this second car arrived. Their dashboard camera recorded the incident. 

A helicopter video shows the encounter from above:

“He’s got his hand up there for her now” says officer Dave Shelby (husband of Betty Shelby)

“This guy is still walking and following commands”

“Time for a taser I think” a second officer says.

“I got a feeling that’s about to happen” says Dave Shelby

“That looks like a bad dude, too” the second officer says and moments later Terence Crutcher was dead. 

On september 22nd, the Tulsa County District Attorney charged Shelby with first degree manslaughter after the shooting was labelled a homicide. On may 17, 2017 a jury found her not guilty. 

Tiffany Crutcher, victims twin sister says

“That big, bad dude was a father. That big, bad dude was a son. That big, bad dude was enrolled at tulsa Community College, just wanting to make us proud.”

“That big, bad dude was at church singing, with all his flaws, every week. That’s who he was” 

“We just want justice. Because I want for everyone to know that the big bad dude, his life mattered. His life matters” 

The state cleared Betty Shelby's record and in 2018 she started teaching a course on how cops can ‘survive’ controversial shootings. Killing an unarmed, non violent black man and as a consequence having your record cleared. This is disgusting. This is white supremacy. 

Terence crutcher was unarmed and innocent. He did not deserve to die. The system is broken and his story needs to be heard and his memory honoured. We need to remember that he was so much more than a name on a paper, a news story, a victim. He was a person. 

Love and strength to the family.

Terence Crutcher. We will never forget your story. We will never forget your name.

Please listen to episode 14 “How to Make Police Brutality Illegal” of Shaun King’s The Breakdown on apple podcast or spotify to learn more about how the system allows white police officers to not be held accountable for their crimes and what you can do to help. 

References

Stack, Liam. “Video Released in Terence Crutcher's Killing by Tulsa Police.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/us/video-released-in-terence-crutchers-killing-by-tulsa-police.html.

Department, Tulsa Police, director. Terence Crutcher Shooting Video. NYTimes.com - Video, 20 Sept. 2016, nyti.ms/2jXZ9P4.