[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition demanding accountability for the police killing of
Jayland Walker in Akron, Ohio.

Content warning: The following message contains descriptions of racial
violence and police brutality. 

Dear MoveOn member,

On June 27, Jayland Walker was pulled over for an alleged “traffic and
equipment violation.” Eight Akron Police Department officers shot at
Jayland more than 90 times in seven seconds. Jayland suffered over 60
gunshot wounds. Then the same officers who murdered him handcuffed his
lifeless body. The police bodycam footage reveals eight cops killed a
Black man while five officers stood by and watched.^1

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, Akron police murdered him. The officers who
fired more than 90 shots at Jayland are on paid administrative leave.

[ [link removed] ]Will you join in solidarity to demand accountability for the brutal
police killing of Jayland Walker?

In solidarity with Jayland's family, the Akron community, and The Freedom
BLOC, we demand transparency and accountability from Akron’s elected
officials, as well as a full independent investigation. Akron's city and
elected officials must also stop their vicious crackdowns on protestors.

[3]Sign the petition

As we mourn and turn our outrage into action, this moment requires us to
recognize a painful truth: The police murder of Jayland Walker is not an
anomaly. We’ve been here before.

* In South Carolina, Walter Scott was stopped by police for a
nonfunctioning brake light.
* In Michigan, Patrick Lyoya was stopped for improper vehicle
registration.
* Just outside Minneapolis, where police murdered George Floyd, Daunte
Wright was pulled over for minor traffic violations and an air
freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.

All of these Black men were murdered by police during routine traffic
stops. In a country where armed, militarized police are the response to
every incident and crisis—and Black people are viewed as threats, not
human beings—Black people aren’t issued tickets or citations; we receive
death sentences.

[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition here to demand accountability for Jayland Walker's
killing at the hands of the Akron Police Department.

Now, as Jayland’s family and neighbors take to the street to demand
justice, the Akron Police Department has initiated a terror campaign
against protesters and journalists. From tear gas and rubber bullets to
false imprisonment, Akron police have waged war against people demanding
justice for Jayland, as demonstrated by the violent arrests of Bianca
Austin, the aunt of Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake Sr., the father of
Jacob Blake. Police terrorism continues to target Black and Indigenous
communities. And when people rise up to protest police brutality, cops
douse them with chemical weapons and beat them with batons.

This is who the police are, and dehumanizing and terrorizing Black people
is what they’re paid to 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.

That’s why we’re standing with The Freedom BLOC to demand Akron’s elected
officials take these steps:

 1. Immediately end the use of tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets.
 2. Immediately release all protesters from jail, expunge their records,
and remove all fines and fees.
 3. Create and fund an unarmed traffic enforcement unit for routine
traffic stops.
 4. Invest in community-led public safety solutions. Invest in what keeps
Black communities safe, including reparations, housing, public
transportation, food security, health care, and community-controlled
public safety alternatives.

According to Mapping Police Violence, Black people are 4.9 times more
likely to be killed by police than white people in Ohio.^2 And when we
protest police violence, we become the next target of police brutality. We
must take action to end this vicious cycle.

[ [link removed] ]Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to
your friends.

–Rashad Robinson, Color of Change

Sources:

1. "What we know about the deadly police shooting of Jayland Walker," Vox,
July 7, 2022
[link removed]

2. "Police have killed 286 people in the U.S. so far in 2022," Mapping
Police Violence, March 31, 2022
[link removed]

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It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online
petitions. You can [ [link removed] ]start your own petition here.


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