Hakim Littleton was shot from behind and murdered by Detroit officers. 

[ [link removed] ][IMG]  

#JusticeforHakim: Demand Hakim's killers are held accountable. 

[ [link removed] ]DEMAND JUSTICE!


John,

It has happened again. 

This time, in Detroit. A Black man was ruthlessly murdered by rogue cops.
And the officers are still employed two weeks later. 

On July 10, Hakim Littleton’s friend was being arrested by a swarm of cops
-- and in the process, Hakim drew a gun, shot at an officer, and
ultimately missed.^1 After Hakim was tackled, disarmed, and lay face down
on the ground, he was repeatedly shot, and one officer even shot him in
the back of the head at point-blank range.

We’ll never know why Hakim drew the gun. He will never be able to tell
what was going through his mind as officers swarmed them that day. But we
do know that Hakim should still be alive. He did not deserve to be
executed at point-blank range by the very people who “swear to protect”
us.

Hakim’s murder was a public execution. We demand accountability for the
officers, the police chief, and the entire Detroit Police Department for
our Black brother. 

[ [link removed] ]Add your name to the petition to demand #JusticeforHakim.

Despite how carelessly the cops sprayed bullets at Hakim, Detroit police
chief James Craig has spewed lies to the media, misrepresented what
happened the day Hakim was murdered, and continues to conspire against
Hakim by referring to the officers as “heroes.” The department even tried
to hide the additional video footage that clearly shows Hakim was shot
multiple times from behind as he lay face down on the ground. The video
wasn’t released until local activists and community members demanded the
footage more than a week later. 

This callous behavior is nothing new for the Detroit Police Department. 

The Detroit police were once the most deadly and notorious police
department in the country.^2 They lead the nation's largest cities in the
rate of fatal shootings by police -- in just a five-year span from
1995-2000, they murdered 40 people. While that number has decreased, it
was only due in part to the federal oversight they were placed under due
to the overwhelming amount of police violence. And more recently, the city
of Detroit has had to pay out tens of millions of dollars in police
misconduct lawsuits, as a result of persistent police brutality. 

[ [link removed] ]#JusticeforHakim: Sign the petition to hold the entire Detroit Police
Department accountable for murdering Hakim Littleton.

At Color Of Change, we have run far too many campaigns against the Detroit
police department -- and that’s a testament to how violent their police
force is. Just a few weeks ago while protestors rallied to put an end to
police violence, Detroit police drove their SUVs into the crowd of
protestors, showing a blatant disregard for their lives.^3 

Even against the backdrop of a global uprising against police violence,
Detroit officers won’t stop abusing and murdering people. 

We deserve to breathe and live free of persistent police violence. We
deserve to have our loved ones come home at the end of the day. We are
tired. Black Detroiters are tired. We demand accountability and we’re
demanding it at every level. 

That’s why we’re calling on Mayor Mike Duggan, Prosecutor Kym Worthy, and
Attorney General Dana Nessel to 1)  release the officers’ names, 2) fire
them, 3) launch an independent investigation, and 4) Mayor Duggan to fire
Chief James for his handling of the case.

[ [link removed] ]Add your name now to demand justice.

Until justice is real,

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

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

References:

1. "Protesters gather in Detroit after police shoot and kill man who
officers say shot at them first." The Washington
Post. [ [link removed] ][link removed]

2. "How the roots of Detroit's police department helped spawn 1967
rebellion."
NPR. [ [link removed] ][link removed]

3. "Detroit police SUV drives through crowd after protesters climb on
hood." Detroit Free
Press. [ [link removed] ][link removed]


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



[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.

[ [link removed] ]Make a Donation

<style type="text/css">

blockquote .original-only,
.WordSection1 .original-only
{
display: none !important;
}

</style>

<div class=".original-only">

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
</div>