October 24: Voices of Loved Ones of People Murdered by Police
October 26, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Before and after the Rise Up October march through NYC on October 24, dozens of family members and other loved ones of people murdered by police shared the terrible loss they suffered, the outrage of lives stolen by police, and their solidarity with all victims of police murder. And over and over they declared their determination to continue to fight for justice—for their own loss, and to STOP all police terror. Following are just a few of those voices.
Lsana D’Jahspora is the father of Cinque “Q” D’Jahspora, killed by Jackson, Tennessee police, on November 6, 2014: Remember the name: Cinque, we called him Q. Q is here today I guarantee you. This young man’s spirit was connected to mine even before he was born, and trust me, he is here. Cinque was gunned down—I say executed—in Jackson, Tennessee, just three months after Mike Brown. Lying on the ground, face down, and shot in the back. And not only that, Cinque caused so little threat these cops actually went to the car and then came back and shot him—in the back. You can see the execution on video. But even until this day they are in denial. They have even lied about the cop who fired the shot, this is how layered the conspiracy is, the cover-up. So I say to you families, I’m glad to be part of this justice train. I will go anywhere to stand with any family, but bring this justice train to the plantation in Jackson, Tennessee. Those of you who can, November 6 is the one-year anniversary. We got to take this train all around the country, but come to the plantation, because we need you there brothers. It’s as bad as it was in the fifties and sixties.
Yolanda McNair, mother of Adaisha Miller, killed by an off-duty Detroit cop at a party at his house, July 2012: No investigation into my daughter’s death. And they waited 25 minutes to call 911. They never checked him for alcohol or drugs. They stopped short of saying she shot herself. She had no gun shot residue on her hands, clothes or wound track. She was shot in her lungs and it went through her heart. I don’t think her going out that night to celebrate her life, her upcoming birthday, was her plan to end up dead. The last thing I told her was that I loved her. And I thank God that I got to hear her say ‘I love you’ back because I gotta keep that, I gotta remember that, for the rest of my life. But I’m here to fight for my daughter. I’m here to fight for everybody’s child, parent, and grandchild. I’ll be their voice. I’m gonna be here. And the police officer in Detroit who killed my daughter, I will be there when you go down too.
Venus Anderson, mother of Christopher Anderson, shot to death by Highland Park, Illinois, police in the hospital, November 3, 2014: My son was shot down in an emergency room by the Highland Park police station. Now my story might be a little bit different from y’alls considering my son did have a weapon on him, but it took them about two-and-a-half hours to realize he was armed. My son never pulled a gun out on the police. He was in the hospital for two-and-a-half hours before they discovered he had a gun on him. My son went walking through the hallway with his hands in the air saying ‘Don’t shoot, I surrender.’ They put him back in a room and gave him forty-four seconds to put the gun down before opening fire on him, in 1.7 seconds, nine bullets at my son in a small closed in room in a curtain. My son was shot in cold blood. He fell over off the bed, and while his body was dead, they put handcuffs on him. And when they rolled him over, ladies and gentlemen, the gun was still beneath him indicating he never pulled a weapon on the police. This is injustice. So whether they have a gun or not, you have to look at the circumstances. My son didn’t deserve to die that way, like none of your family, none of your kids deserved to die like this. We pay the police to serve and protect us, they are no longer hiding behind white sheets, ladies and gentlemen, they are hiding behind their shields. These are the new age police. Let’s shut em down!
Joshua Lopez, nephew of John Collado, murdered by NYPD, September 6, 2011: My uncle got murdered for breaking up what he thought was a fight between two individuals, and one of the individuals involved in the fight was a police officer who never identified himself. And that same police officer who killed my uncle had murdered somebody two years prior to that. And he’s still working on the force. And I’m here fighting for a better world, a decent world, where we can live in peace without having to fear for our lives!
Marlee Kanosh, on behalf of Corey Kanosh, killed in by a Millard County, Utah, deputy October 2012; Paul Castaway by Denver police, July 12, 2015; Sarah Circle Bear died in custody July 5, 2015 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. (all Native Americans): Addiction and mental illness is not a crime. Most of our people are dying because of that. Life sentences. My brother Corey Kanosh was a passenger in a car that was eluding police. The driver was a white male. When the car was stopped, the driver ran, and my brother stayed in the vehicle. Approximately forty steps away, which would be ten seconds, the driver heard two shots. My brother cried out in pain. The next day when we heard the cops’ story, they said Corey ran two hundred yards away, and they discredited the driver’s story because he had a little bit of alcohol in his system.... The only person who went to get medical attention was the cop because he said he was attacked by a canine. ...Paul Castaway recently passed away. He was a mentally ill Native American who had a knife to his own throat when police shot him. Also,our Native American women. Sara Circle Bear, just like Sandra Bland, was found unresponsive in a jail cell. The inmates who were in jail with her said she was pleading with the jail staff to help her because she had a medical condition and the jail staff told her to quit faking. She was found dead in her jail cell.
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