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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.
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.
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.
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. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/257704?t=9&akid=44314%2E4731121%2EvMt79t
2. "How the roots of Detroit's police department helped spawn 1967 rebellion." NPR. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/257705?t=11&akid=44314%2E4731121%2EvMt79t
3. "Detroit police SUV drives through crowd after protesters climb on hood." Detroit Free Press. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/257706?t=13&akid=44314%2E4731121%2EvMt79t
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.
