Campaign Justice - Say Their Names: 101 Black Unarmed Women, Men and Children Killed By Law Enforcement

Justice Warriors Wanted

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Introduction

Black. Lives. Matter.

Not more, and definitely not less. Why is a statement about lives having value, controversial? As SNL's Michael Che stated, "Black Lives Matter. Just Matter."

As of the writing of this book, there have been more controversial shootings of unarmed black and brown citizens even after George Floyd's death. One of the latest is that of Jacob Blake of Wisconsin; the father of three adorable, small children.

Jacob tried to break up a fight between two women when police arrived. He was Tased, yet he was still able to get up and walk to the driver's side of his truck, where he was trying to get his children away from the violence.

Officers pulled their guns on him. As he tried to step into his vehicle, Officer Rusten Sheskey pulled at his t-shirt...

... and shot him seven times.

In the back.

With his children in the back seat screaming.

Jacob is out of ICU, but he is now paralyzed from the waist down. He was secretly moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation center in October 2020 due to death threats being levied upon him and his father.

There have been no arrests... just his, as he was originally handcuffed to his hospital bed.

That is one of the many reasons why we decided to put this book together as a sort of encyclopedia of 101 unarmed black/brown lives that were taken away by law enforcement.

No arrest.

No trial.

No conviction.

By no means is this a complete accounting of all lives lost (that list would be in the thousands).

But if you find a name or two that speaks to you, please take the time to research that person's life story further to keep them alive in our collective conscious; and better still, say a prayer for the family.

SPECIAL THANKS: Much appreciation goes to our researcher, N. Matherson, who worked tirelessly compiling the data.

Origins of Policing in America

The origins of policing in America has a checkered past that is still felt today by black and brown people.

Slavery was many things, including a steel-fisted "control" over another human being. Slavery, and that control, formed our society and ushered in early policing.

In 1702, Slave Patrols and Night Watches mushroomed during this time period to restrict the lives and behaviors of slaves. These watches and patrol's sole mission was to question every slave and free person of color, round up those who escaped, and return them to their owners after they were tortured or maimed. Some were outright killed to keep others in line. Terror and intimidation were their tactics; which, in turn, maintained the economic order of wealthy landowners.

For the next 200-plus years, officers wore two hats: serving as police officers and wearing white robes marking them as Klansmen. The police union was "klan-dominated," whose ties were not cut until 1947. However, criminologists and historians reported that the ties lasted much longer than that and can even be seen and felt in 2020.

An example of this can be found within the history of the Atlanta Police Department, where they state:

"1947 Chief Hornsby dies.

January 31; Herbert T. Jenkins elected chief, immediately begins vigorous reform campaign.

February 2; mandatory retirement of 65 established; Klan-dominated police union abolished; Police Training Academy founded."

(View history here: https://www.atlantapd.org/about-apd/apd-history)

The above was not unusual, nor was it limited to Georgia. In fact, according to Taimi Castle, a professor of justice studies at James Madison University, wrote in her academic paper, Cops and the Klan,

"During the same period of time, in some jurisdictions all local officials were members, including the sheriff."

When you hear the word, "systemic racism," you may only think about modern-day policing; however, slavery was an economic force institutionalized deliberately and systematically woven into the laws of the land.

Slavery was not just a southern institution. New York and other colonies passed fugitive slave laws to criminalize and control slaves and former slaves.

The operation of the slave patrols morphed into modern policing. With Reconstruction came lynch mobs who refused to see former slaves as free and instead resented their freedom while categorizing them as sub-human.

Those opinions have not been recast with time. Here are two examples:

1. Javier Ambler, II was pulled over for "not dimming his lights for oncoming traffic." The TV show, Live PD filmed the incident then deleted it. Ambler was obese and had congestive heart failure. When the officers told him to get on the ground, face down, he said he could not because he was ill and had congestive heart failure. They stun-gunned him multiple times while forcing him face down on the ground. Ambler repeatedly said he could not breathe, but was ignored. He fell unconscious, and although CPR was performed on him, he died on the scene.

The sheriff and former county attorney have been indicted for evidence tampering.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/grand-jury-indicts-texas-sheriff-183123936.html

https://buff.ly/2GpGonT

2. Eric Lurry was taken into custody and thrown into the back of a patrol car. The officers handcuffed him and pinched his nose shut as they shoved a baton down his throat. He died from the trauma.

https://theappeal.org/joliet-police-lawsuits/

Unfortunately, these incidents did not happen during Reconstruction but in 2019. This legacy did not end with Reconstruction, with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, nor with the invention and common use of cell phone cameras.