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John, 

After weeks of protests and demands for justice -- still, NO arrests or
charges have made against the officers who murdered Elijah McClain. 

To make matters worse, three Aurora County police officers were fired this
past Friday after taking selfies that were mocking a memorial established
in Elijah's honor. One of the officers responsible for Elijah's death,
Jason Rosenblatt, even sent a text in support of this cruel joke,
responding "haha" to the officers who took the selfies. And even though he
was also fired for his participation, it's not nearly enough.^1

The callousness and depravity exhibited by these officers are not
unique. Aurora County police department only fired these officers to save
face politically -- they have deliberately delayed holding the officers
who murdered Elijah accountable for almost a year now. Simply firing these
officers for mocking this young Black man's death does not get Elijah's
family the justice they deserve. The type of dehumanizing behavior
displayed is eerily similar to that of a lynching and in no way should it
be tolerated in today's police force. Nevertheless, all across the
country, we continue to see police departments and police unions fight
against any form of accountability or reform. 

But John, over 100,000 people have already signed the petition
demanding justice for Elijah -- we are not going to stop fighting. Time is
of the essence. Elijah's family shouldn't be forced to mourn the loss of
their loved one while these officers sit at home and relax with their
families. Our communities will no longer tolerate this level of depravity
shown by police officers -- we must make our demands clear.

[ [link removed] ]Tell AG Phil Weiser: A whole year is too long to wait for justice.
Charge the officers who murdered Elijah NOW.

Until Justice is Real, 

Scott and the rest of the Color of Change Team 

P.S. Read our original email below. 

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Elijah McClain was murdered by Aurora, CO police almost a year ago, and
still no justice. 

[ [link removed] ][IMG][ [link removed] ][IMG]

Sign the petition to demand AG Phil Weiser charge the cops who killed
Elijah NOW

[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION


Dear John, 

Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man in Aurora, Colorado, was murdered
at the hands of police almost a year ago and still no justice.

On August 24, 2019, three white police officers stopped Elijah while he
was walking home from a convenience store -- after a 911 caller reportedly
described Elijah as a “suspicious person.” ^2 The details that led to
Elijah’s death are horrific. The officers can be heard on bodycam video
threatening to bring their dog to bite Elijah and even accusing Elijah of
provoking arrest. Minutes later, officers then put Elijah in a deadly
chokehold, causing him to go unconscious.^3 Paramedics rushed to the scene
only for Elijah to later suffer from a heart attack; he was declared brain
dead three days later.^4

That’s why we must call on Attorney General Phil Weiser to stand up for
what is right and file criminal charges against the officers who murdered
Elijah McClain. He has the power to ensure these officers are not free to
roam the streets while Elijah's family is forced to mourn the loss of
their loved one. 

[ [link removed] ]Elijah Mcclain should still be alive today. Sign the petition to demand
AG Phil Weiser charge the officers who murdered Elijah.

Here's the truth: Officer Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy
Roedema are responsible for Elijah's death. But the police-led autopsy
report suggests the cause of Elijah's death was unclear even though the
coroner listed intense physical exertion as one of the contributing
factors that sent Elijah into heart failure.^5 To make matters worse, the
police review board defended the police officers saying, “ the force
applied during the altercation… was within policy and consistent with
training.” ^6 The officers were placed on administrative leave but later
put back on the force because prosecutors declined to file
charges. There's no denying the Aurora County police officers and District
Attorney Dave Young have delayed justice for Elijah at every turn. As
we've seen in the countless number of police-involved shootings that have
resulted in Black people being killed, police are rarely held accountable
for the violence and harm they inflict on Black people.

If the police had simply allowed Elijah to walk home, he would still be
alive today. Elijah's murder is yet another example of what we already
know -- the police do not keep our communities safe. Just yesterday,
members of Elijah's community held a peaceful vigil, march, and rally
where they honored Elijah's life by observing a few violinists perform and
holding hands. But in a widely circulated video, police disrupted the
event wearing riot gear -- they deployed pepper spray and were physically
violent toward attendees. Our communities aren't even safe to mourn and
honor the lives lost to police violence.^7 We can't sit by while Black
people are being killed needlessly in the street by these violent police
officers -- now more than ever they must know that enough is enough.  

John, we know that when we continually call out these
atrocities against our communities, it becomes impossible to ignore. We've
seen this happen after more than 43,000 Color Of Change members called for
#JusticeforBre and more than 300,000 members #RanwithAhmaud. As a result,
charges against Bre’s boyfriend were dropped, and the three men who
murdered Ahmaud have been charged. And we know the same thing can happen
for Elijah McClain. 

[ [link removed] ]Enough is enough. Demand the cops who murdered Elijah are charged NOW. 

Until justice is real, 

--Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Madison, Leonard, Ernie
and the rest of the Color Of Change team

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 References:

 1. "3 Officers Fired Over Photos Taken Near Elijah McClain Memorial." The
New York Times.
[link removed]
 2. "What We Know About the Killing of Elijah McClain." The
Cut. [ [link removed] ][link removed]
 3. Ibid.
 4. Ibid.
 5. "What We Know About the Killing of Elijah McClain." The
Cut. [ [link removed] ][link removed] 
 6. Ibid.
 7. "Cops in Riot Gear Stormed a Violin Vigil for Elijah McClain." The
Cut.
[link removed]


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[ [link removed] ]ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change.

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