[ [link removed] ]Demand Justice for Elijah McClain!
[ [link removed] ]Elijah McClain
Demand Justice for Elijah MClain!
[ [link removed] ]take action
[ [link removed] ]Take Action

Dear Friend,

Elijah McClain -- a young Black man who loved animals, a violinist, a
highly regarded massage therapist, and a person beloved by his community
-- was simply walking home from the store after buying iced tea when
police officers in Aurora, Colorado detained and murdered him nearly a
year ago. [1] The officers who murdered Elijah have yet to be fired or
charged.

[ [link removed] ]There is still no justice. Not only have the officers NOT been charged
yet, yesterday the Aurora, CO police, in riot gear, used pepper spray to
break up a peaceful violin vigil in a city park calling for justice for
Elijah, who was killed by that very same police department last year. [2]

[ [link removed] ]*Demand that Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser hold the officers
who murdered Elijah accountable, starting with their immediate arrest and
criminal charges filed against them.

Racial profiling, along with structural racism and police brutality, is
killing Black people. None of this can continue. MomsRising is following
the lead of Color Of Change in demanding justice for Elijah McClain -- and
your voice is urgently needed too.

Elijah McClain was a 23-year-old massage therapist who loved running, was
a self taught violinist, and volunteered playing music at animal shelters
so the animals wouldn’t be lonely. [3] A beloved son, friend, and family
member, on August 24th 2019, Elijah was walking home from a convenience
store where he had just picked up iced tea for his friends and family when
he was stopped by three white police officers after a 911 caller reported
him as a supposedly “suspicious person.” [4]

Elijah was just walking home and not bothering anyone. He wasn’t even
suspected of anything. Yet Aurora police twice restrained Elijah with a
chokehold, which restricts blood to the brain to the extent of
unconsciousness, as Elijah pleaded for his life. Then medical responders
arrived and injected Elijah with ketamine, an intense sedative,[5] and
Elijah went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance and never recovered.

*TAKE ACTION NOW: We won’t sit by silently as more Black people are
murdered by the police. The officers who murdered Elijah must be held
accountable and that starts with their immediate arrest and criminal
charges filed against them.

Let’s be very clear. Elijah committed no crime. He had done nothing wrong.

[ [link removed] ]The Aurora police officers, on the other hand, committed murder. They
must be arrested.

*CONTENT WARNING: Elijah’s last words are devastatingly unforgettable and
it’s unforgivable that police brutality coupled with racial profiling and
structural racism remains unchecked in our nation:

“I can’t breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah McClain.
That’s my house. I was just going home. I’m an introvert. I’m just
different. That’s all. I’m so sorry. I have no gun. I don’t do that
stuff. I don’t do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don’t even
kill flies! I don’t eat meat! But I don’t judge people, I don’t judge
people who do eat meat. Forgive me. All I was trying to do was become
better. I will do it. I will do anything. Sacrifice my identity, I’ll do
it. You all are phenomenal. You are beautiful and I love you. Try to
forgive me. I’m a mood Gemini. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Ow, that really
hurt. You are all very strong. Teamwork makes the dream work. Oh, I’m
sorry I wasn’t trying to do that. I just can’t breathe correctly.” [6]

“I can’t breathe” are also the last words the world heard from Eric
Garner, George Floyd, and too many other Black people targeted and killed
by police violence.

Young Black men are 21 times more likely to be killed by the police than
young white men. [7] Young Black women are also disproportionately harmed
and killed by the police. [ [link removed] ] Anti-Black racism is deadly.

Police are getting away with murdering Black people, not just in Elijah’s
case, but in communities across the country -- police violence brings to
the forefront the devastating impacts of anti-Black racism.

For instance, it has been over 100 days since Breonna Taylor, a
twenty-six- year-old Black EMT and essential worker, [ [link removed] ] was shot and
killed in her Louisville, Kentucky home by officers from the Louisville
Metro Police Department (LMPD). LMPD performed an illegal, no knock drug
raid on her home. Not a single officer announced themselves before ramming
down her door and firing 22 shots, shooting Breonna 8 times, killing her.
The officers were at the WRONG HOUSE, and the person they were looking for
had already been arrested earlier that day. Breonna was not a suspect, she
had not committed a crime, and her death was senseless and tragic. [ [link removed] ]

Across the country, mothers are losing their children to the police
violence and millions of other mothers live in fear of it every single
day. It’s heartbreaking and unacceptable.

*TAKE ACTION: Demand that Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser hold the
officers who murdered Elijah accountable, order their immediate arrest and
ensure that criminal charges are filed against them.

Elijah was deeply loved. His mom, Sheneen McClain, shared that Elijah
became a massage therapist because he "wanted to heal" others, and "he not
only healed others, he healed himself" through his work. [ [link removed] ]

No mother should have to go through what Elijah’s mom is going through. No
one should lose their life to the police.

*Please take a moment after you sign on to the call for
#JusticeForElijahMcCain to post this action link on social media so others
can sign on too. The more of us who speak out, the faster we’ll get to
justice:
[8][link removed]

Thank you for taking action,

- Kristin, Monifa, Donna, Casey, Ruth, Maggie, Anita, Jordan and the
entire MomsRising Team

 

REFERENCES:

[1] "[9]Here’s What You Need to Know About Elijah McClain’s Death," Lucy
Tompkins, New York Times, June 25, 2020.
[2] "[10]Aurora PD Boots and Pepper Sprays Peaceful Protesters at Violin
Vigil for Elijah McClain," TMZ, June 28, 2020.
[3] "[11]UNLIKELY SUSPECT: Those who knew Elijah balk at Aurora police
account of his death," Grant Stringer, Sentinel, October 27, 2019.
[4] "[ [link removed] ]Here’s What You Need to Know About Elijah McClain’s Death," Lucy
Tompkins, New York Times, June 25, 2020.
[5] "[ [link removed] ]Elijah McClain was injected with ketamine before he died. Is that
legal?," Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY, June 28, 2020. [6] "[ [link removed] ]Are These
Elijah McClain’s Last Words on Police Video?," Dan Evon, Snopes, June 26,
2020.
[7] "[ [link removed] ]Young Black Men Are 21 Times as Likely as Their White Peers to be
Killed by Police," Equal Justice Initiative, October 20, 2014.
[8] "[ [link removed] ]A short history of black women and police violence," Keisha N.
Blain, The Conversation, June 12, 2020.
[9] "[ [link removed] ]Officer fired in shooting death of Breonna Taylor, Louisville
police say," Theresa Waldrop, Ray Sanchez, and Elizabeth Joseph, CNN, June
23, 2020.
[10] "[ [link removed] ]Here’s What You Need to Know About Breonna Taylor’s Death,"
Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Derrick Bryson Taylor, New York Times, June 28,
2020.
[11] "[ [link removed] ]Elijah McClain's mother says officers "murdered" her son as
governor appoints special prosecutor to investigate ," Audrey Mcnamara,
CBS News, June 26, 2020.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ [link removed] ]Vote     [ [link removed] ]Facebook     [ [link removed] ]Twitter     [ [link removed] ]Radio     [ [link removed] ]Donate   
 

[ [link removed] ]Register to vote! / [ [link removed] ]¡Regístrese para votar!

[ [link removed] ]Join our Spanish language community, MamásConPoder.org

What should MomsRising tackle next? [ [link removed] ]Tell us!


You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]