John,
UPDATE: On Monday, April 17, a special grand jury in Ohio declined to indict the Akron police officers who shot Jayland Walker dozens of times in June 2022.
After 10 months of public outcry, protests and demands of accountability from Jayland’s loved ones and the community, the grand jury decided that the officers were legally justified in their use of force.
Our hearts break for Jayland’s family and the Akron community. Jayland was a young man with a family and a bright future, a human who deserved to be treated with dignity. Instead, eight Akron police officers shot him more than 40 times after a car chase and foot pursuit. As we turn our outrage into action, we need you to join us, John, in calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene. Can we count on you?
WE NEED JUSTICE FOR JAYLAND WALKER
On June 27, 2022, Jayland Walker was pulled over for an alleged “traffic and equipment violation.” Jayland wound up dead after eight Akron police officers fired more than 60 shots. They huddled together for minutes with their body-cam audio and video turned off. Jayland suffered 46 gunshot wounds. The eight officers involved in the shooting were initially placed on administrative leave and were reinstated by October 10.2,3
In the months following, thousands of people gathered in the streets of Akron, demanding justice and accountability. In August 2022, the Rev. Raymond Greene Jr. of The Freedom BLOC hand-delivered nearly 60,000 petition signatures to the Akron Police Department, calling for the Akron City Council to implement a series of policies that would re-envision public safety. And in September 2022, more than 75 demonstrators calling for police accountability had been arrested since Jayland’s murder in June. Around the same time, the Akron City Council voted to approve Mayor Dan Horrigan’s proposal to create a new civilian review board, prioritizing the city’s labor agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police over the rights and safety of their constituents. Every step of the way, Akron’s elected officials have marginalized the needs of our communities. They’ve taken no real steps toward implementing policies that would keep our people safe from deadly police encounters.
tELL THE doj: lAUNCH aN iNVESTIGATION INTO THE aKRON Police Department
The police murder of Jayland Walker is not an anomaly. We’ve been here before.
Police terrorism continues to target Black and Indigenous communities, and police unions work to shield officers from any real accountability. When people stand up to protest police brutality, cops douse them with chemical weapons and beat them with batons. As Jayland’s family and neighbors take to the street to demand justice, the Akron Police Department has initiated a terror campaign against protesters. Too often, dehumanizing and terrorizing Black people is what police do.
The murder of Jayland Walker and the violent police response in Akron are just the latest cruel examples of what happens when elected officials prioritize policing over investments that actually keep communities safe.
WE NEED JUSTICE FOR JAYLAND WALKER
Together, we can honor the memory of Jayland Walker, protect Black families from police brutality and create transformative change in Akron.
Until Justice Is Real,
Color Of Change Government Affairs Team
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