A federal investigation in the police killing of Jayland Walker is the absolute bare minimum that we deserve—and it’s just a start. We will continue to organize to reimagine public safety and a world beyond policing as we know it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
https://act.moveon.org/go/164318?t=12&akid=327962%2E40999114%2E2vO1h1

2. "Police have killed 286 people in the U.S. so far in 2022," Mapping Police Violence, March 31, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/164319?t=14&akid=327962%2E40999114%2E2vO1h1

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