Black People : Media Blackout When Police Kill Unarmed African American Women

RAPTOR

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The mainstream, corporate media has overlooked a number of very important cases of police shooting
unarmed civilians. Whether coincidence or not, it would seem that many of them have something very
obvious in common: they are all African American women.

One of the most egregious offenses is that of Officer Joseph Weekley’s fatal shooting of 7-year-old
Aiyana Stanley-Jones, but to date, this case, like the others we will discuss here, have received
virtually no mainstream media attention.

Read more: http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/01/media-blackout-when-unarmed-african-american-women/
 
042115-centric-news-women-protest-black-lives-matter.jpg

No Ma'am: Stop Ignoring Black Girls And Women Killed By Cops

Writer Bené Viera implores society to honor the likes of Rekia Boyd who, too, deserve national outcry



POSTED: 04/21/2015 11:33 AM EDT
Filed Under No Ma'am, News and Views, Aiyana Jones, Commentaries, Commentary, Michael Brown Jr., Eric Garner, police brutality, Rekia Boyd
When Michael Brown Jr. and Eric Garner’s killer cops weren’t indicted there was uproar across the nation. A collective outrage, a sadness. An all too familiar pain bubbling in hearts enough to make them explode. It was all we could tweet, Facebook, Instagram and discuss in the following days. On Monday, the charges against the Chicago cop who killed Rekia Boydwere dropped. By Tuesday the Detroit cop who killed seven-year-old Aiyana Jones returned to work.My heart fluttered with pain. It’s unfair. Not only would it be business as usual for the killer cops with no justice for the families, but both Black girls should still be alive.


The Chicago community and family of Rekia Boyd are hurt by the injustice. They are left with unanswered questions on how Judge Dennis Portercould dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge against officer Dante Servin. Rekia, 22, was an innocent bystander when an off-duty Servin told her four friends to quiet down. He claims there was a verbal dispute, he allegedly saw an imaginary object raised by her friend and ended up blowing Rekia’s head off. He, like so many officers who kill our people, justify their actions by saying they were in fear of their lives.


You probably don’t remember her name because the country was focused on the murder of Trayvon Martin that had occurred a month prior. And this is a problem: Black girls and women killed by police and affected by police brutality, are being ignored.


Shortly after Mike Brown was killed in Ferguson in August 2014, a Facebook friend wrote how happy she was to be raising a daughter instead of a son because of the rate Black males are being killed by police. I added an addendum to her statement to remind everyone reading that Black girls and women were also part of the every 28 hours MXGM-founded statistic. In her mind this was an irrelevant point to make because ‘What about our Black boys and men?’ This pervasive attitude is why we can rattle off a list of unarmed Black boys and men killed by cops or vigilantes while barely knowing any of the women’s names. The erasure of Black girls and women from the police brutality narrative must stop. Caring about us is not something we can put off for tomorrow or next week while we continue the fight for Black boys and men.




You may have forgotten or never heard of these names, but they should be etched into your memory in the same way Amadou Diallo and Sean Belland Trayvon Martin are. There was seven-year-old Aiyana Jones who was killed in her Detroit home while sleeping on the couch. And 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston. And 47-year-old Yvette Smith. And 37-year-old Tanisha Anderson. And 66-year-old Eleanor Bumpers. And 40-year-old Aura Russer. And 50-year-old mentally ill Michelle Cusseaux. And of course Rekia Boyd. If it weren’t for Black women uplifting these names and organizing for Rekia right now in Chicago and New York City, where would they be?




I. Three Black women created the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
It is mostly Black women on frontlines of the protests that have spread across the country since Trayvon Martin’s murder in 2012. Black women march until blisters bubble up on their feet, write until their fingers cramp, get jailed for protesting the loss of Black male life, yet there is no reciprocity for Black girls and women killed by police. There has never been a national protest for any slain Black girl or woman killed by police. Black men have not showed up in the same way for the liberation of our girls and women. Black men as a whole are not shouting from the mountaintops the names of Rekia and Aura and Michelle. Black men with the lofty academic and TV platforms do not lift the voices of their sisters. They reserve those spaces for our boys and men. The media is not much better. After the initial report of said killing of a Black girl or woman, there is not much more unless written/covered by another Black woman. The outcry over dead Black female bodies never reaches the heights of Black males murdered by cops. As Black women lead the fight for liberation for ALL Black lives, everyone must begin acknowledging, amplifying, fighting for us.




II. One of the reasons beside COINTELPRO the Black Panther Party failed was its rampant sexism, ?

in my opinion. Black women in the trenches were not heard by the very brothers they were fighting alongside, in the same way the Civil Rights Movement shines a light on the charismatic male leaders, all while ignoring the influential women who were crucial in sparking change. A number of Black women have abandoned the fight for justice for this very reason — while we’re fighting for Black males we are being ignored. When a Black woman dare write about why she will no longer march for Black men because she’d prefer using her energy to elevate the stories of the ignored Black girls and women, the backlash is swift. How dare a Black woman want to preserve her efforts for someone other than Black men. How dare a Black woman say she is tired of fighting for a group of men who collectively do not show up for us. How dare she! I don’t agree with everything the writer wrote, and will continue to march for our Black boys and men, but I do understand why a Black woman could reach the point of no return. You feel like you have to choose a side when you’re constantly watching issues affecting Black girls and women being ignored while everyone is fighting for Black boys and men.




III. Sexism, patriarchy and misogyny affects every aspect of Black women’s lived experiences.
?
Black women cannot be expected to set aside or choose race over gender. The two are inextricably linked. Patriarchy is why the narrative of police brutality is centered on Black men when in actuality it should be focused on both women and men equally. It’s intentional that there is no data on the number of Black girls and women killed by police. Not enough people care. Just like when I noted to the aforementioned FB friend that cops kill Black girls and women too, I received pushback; people don’t want to hear about how we’re affected due to good ol' fashioned sexism. People are all too happy for Black women to continue being what Zora Neale Hurston calls the "mules of the world." How sad it is that even Black women perpetuate the narrative that we must protect our sons and fathers at all costs all while putting our girls on the backburner. Our daughters and mothers deserve not to be overlooked and forgotten about. They deserve more than our collective silence.




IV. Fear of the police is not an exclusive club for Black men only.
I am terrified when I spot NYPD officers standing on the corners in my neighborhood. Their presence does not make me feel safe. I never know what to do with my hands. Keep them empty or put them in my pocket? I become defensive because at any moment a cop can decide an object in my hand is a “gun” or he was “in fear of his life” and we all know how that story ends. I legit never know if I’m going to make it out of a simple traffic stop alive. The fear of Driving While Black so many Black men have experienced applies to us too. It’s time to recognize Black women do not have some sort of magical privilege as it relates to police brutality. For the officers who are fearful of the people in our communities they only see Black. It won’t much matter that I’m a woman.


V. Cop killings of unarmed Blacks is systematic. It’s a historical violence that is not new, nor is it worse now than any other time period. Citizen journalism and social media has just made the problem harder to ignore, unless of course you’re a Black girl or woman. No one has to shout “Black girls and women don’t matter!” for it to be apparent in the way we treat extrajudicial killings of Black girls and women. Too many people only mean cis-hetero men when they shout “Black Lives Matter!” without giving a second thought to cis-hetero, trans or queer Black girls and women. Aren’t we in this fight to freedom too?


I can’t help but wonder had the murder of Rekia Boyd sparked a national outcry in the same way Trayvon Martin did, if maybe a judge wouldn’t have dismissed manslaughter charges after only four days of deliberation. I can’t help but wonder if Rekia Boyd’s family would’ve had a chance at justice if her name would’ve remained in the media or at protests while we were marching for Mike Brown and Eric Garner. I can’t help but wonder if the judicial system would’ve found the cop who “accidentally” killed her accountable had we kept the pressure on in the same we still organize and memorialize our boys and men. Maybe none of the efforts would’ve mattered anyway, but she, too, deserved the same efforts. Movements cannot continue to count on Black women’s unwavering love and support and leadership all while ignoring our very existence. That’s not how any of this should work. Movements do not succeed without us. And we don’t get to the promised land of freedom without acknowledging and fighting for Black women.
 
These 15 Black Women Were Killed During Police Encounters. Their Lives Matter, Too
Posted: 02/13/2015 7:30 am EST Updated: 02/13/2015 4:59 pm EST

www.huffingtonpost.com/.../black-womens-lives-matter-police-shootings_n_6644276.html

Tanisha Anderson
Died Nov. 13, 2014, age 37, Cleveland

cid:EF8D2584-89D8-46DD-BE32-11379B9D3CCF@mobilenotes.apple.com


Family Photo

As noted above, a medical examiner ruled Anderson’s death a homicide, the result of being “physically restrained in a prone position by Cleveland police." Her heart condition and bipolar disorder were also considered factors.


Yvette Smith

Died Feb. 16, 2014, age 47, Bastrop, Texas

cid:FEE3DF63-94DF-4CB3-94CC-CA8393991DBA@mobilenotes.apple.com


Family Photo


A year ago, Yvette Smith was fatally shot when Bastrop County Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Willis responded to a 911 call about a fight between several men at a residence, according to KXAN. At the scene, authorities say, Willis ordered Smith to come out of the house then shot her twice when she stepped through the doorway. An original statement that claimed Smith was armed was retracted by police officials.


Miriam Carey

Died Oct. 3, 2013, age 34, Washington, D.C.

cid:938687CA-2DDB-489F-9554-678840C8D086@mobilenotes.apple.com


Miriam Carey's mother, Idella Carey, and Charles Barron protest Carey's death on the West Front of the Capitol, October 3, 2014. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call


U.S. Secret Service and Capitol Police officers fatally shot Miriam Carey in a car chase after she drove her car into a security checkpoint near the White House, refusing orders to stop. Officers fired multiple shots at Carey, a dental hygienist from Connecticut, hitting her five times.


Shelly Frey

Died Dec. 6, 2012, age 27, Houston

cid:1259EF34-D654-4123-811C-72C38200C090@mobilenotes.apple.com


Facebook


Shelly Frey was killed after she and two other women were allegedly caught stealing from a Walmart in 2012, the Houston Chronicle reports. Louis Campbell, an off-duty sheriff’s deputy working as a security guard, tried to detain them and then shot into a car in which Frey was a passenger. She was struck twice in the neck.


Darnisha Harris

Died Dec. 2, 2012, age 16, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

Darnisha Harris was 16 when Breaux Bridge Police Officer Travis Guillot fired two shots into the car she was driving. Guillot and two other officers were responding to a 911 call about an outdoor fight. According to the Advocate of Baton Rouge, they saw Harris driving erratically, hitting parked cars and a bystander before Guillot opened fire.

Harris was on probation for battery on a police officer and violating a court-ordered curfew when she died, according to the Advocate.

Guillot was previously accused of misconduct while working at three different law enforcement agencies, according to KATC of Lafayette, Louisiana. The incidents include shooting a dog while on patrol, allegedly fondling female inmates and alleged improper treatment of an inmate who died of cocaine intoxication while in custody. A lawsuit regarding the latter allegation was settled out of court.

A grand jury declined to indict Guillot.


Malissa Williams

Died Nov. 29, 2012, age 30, Cleveland

cid:013F60B8-77C8-4087-9758-3C9BF708424E@mobilenotes.apple.com


Cleveland Police Department/AP


Malissa Williams was a passenger in a car driven by a man named Timothy Russell when a police officer thought he heard shots fired from the vehicle and began following them, according to the Associated Press. A 25-minute chase through Cleveland ended with 13 officers firing 137 rounds at the car, which was eventually cornered in a school parking lot. Twenty-three bullets struck Russell, and 24 hit Williams. They were both killed.


Alesia Thomas

Died July 22, 2012, age 35, Los Angeles

cid:AAC5D9CE-6DD4-49D5-960E-EF639541861E@mobilenotes.apple.com


Damian Dovarganes/AP


Alesia Thomas was arrested at her home on suspicion of child endangerment after she left her children at a police station because she couldn't care for them. A struggle with Los Angeles Police Officer Mary O'Callaghan and several other officers ensued; while putting a handcuffed Thomas in a squad car, prosecutors said O'Callaghan threatened to kick Thomas in the genitals and then did so seven times, hitting her in the groin, abdomen and thigh.


Shantel Davis

Died June 14, 2012, age 23, New York City

cid:DBDD62B5-C2D0-4AF6-BF06-ACFAEEFC93D1@mobilenotes.apple.com


Facebook


Shantel Davis was fatally shot while driving a stolen car. Plainclothes NYPD officers approached her after she ran multiple red lights; when she tried to escape, Phil Atkins, a narcotics officer, allegedly tried to shift her car into park as it was moving, the New York Times reports. His gun fired once, striking Davis in the chest.


Rekia Boyd

Died March 22, 2012, age 22, Chicago

cid:CFCB2074-C718-497A-BEA0-0CA81E0C2E49@mobilenotes.apple.com


Facebook

Rekia Boyd was unarmed when she was shot in the back of the head by Chicago Police Detective Dante Servin, who was off-duty at the time.


Servin was driving near his home late at night when he saw a group of four people walking outside. He had a brief conversation with them through his window, then turned the wrong way on a one-way street. According to the Chicago Tribune, he said he then looked over his shoulder and thought he saw a man from the group pull a gun from his pants and point it at him.


Shereese Francis

Died March 15, 2012, age 29, New York City

cid:A46C832B-9849-4728-9ADB-CD12872C50F4@mobilenotes.apple.com


Facebook

Shereese Francis was killed after family members called authorities seeking help because Francis, who had schizophrenia, had not been taking her medication and seemed like she needed medical attention. She refused to go to a hospital voluntarily.


The family’s wrongful death lawsuit alleges Francis, who was unarmed, was not aware arriving NYPD officers were police because of her mental illness. When she tried to leave the room against their orders, they allegedly pursued her, grabbed her and “tackled” her onto a bed. The suit claims four officers put their weight onto Francis’ back while trying to cuff her, and her sister believes she saw them hitting and using a Taser on Francis until Francis stopped moving.


Aiyana Stanley-Jones

Died May 16, 2010, age 7, Detroit

cid:16D7B064-6C28-4159-9D5B-4E1569DBFD09@mobilenotes.apple.com


Charles Jones, the father of 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, holds a photo of his daughter in attorney Geoffrey Fieger's office in Southfield, Mich., Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Carlos Osorio/AP

Aiyana Stanley-Jones was sleeping on her couch with her grandmother when police conducted a "no knock" raid of their home. Officer Joseph Weekley was first through the door and after a flash-bang grenade went off, he fired his gun, killing Aiyana. Weekley testified the grandmother struck his weapon and caused him to fire, but she denies being near the gun.

Police said the raid was in search of a murder suspect who lived in the second floor unit of the home.




Weekley was charged with involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor charge, but the case was dismissed after two mistrials.



Tarika Wilson

Died Jan. 4, 2008, age 26, Lima, Ohio

cid:5F451DA6-F51A-4EE0-8093-11B301EDE0F7@mobilenotes.apple.com


Family Photo


Tarika Wilson was killed when a Lima Police SWAT team raided her rental home to arrest her boyfriend on drug charges, according to The New York Times. She had her youngest son, Sincere, in her arms when she was shot by Sgt. Joseph Chavalia. Sincere, who was 14 months old, was shot in the shoulder and hand but survived.


Kathryn Johnston

Died Nov. 21, 2006, age 92, Atlanta

cid:51943AFA-7FD2-4CDB-AD53-92FD406BA157@mobilenotes.apple.com


Family Photo/AP

Kathryn Johnston was 92 when she was killed in a botched "no knock" drug raid by Atlanta police that was revealed to be based on false information. Officers broke down her security gate and without warning entered her home.

As the door opened, Johnston fired the pistol she kept for self-defense, hitting no one. Officers fired back 39 times. Five or six bullets hit Johnston, and several others hit fellow police.


Officers later admitted to falsely claiming cocaine submitted into evidence had come from a drug deal at her house, and to planting marijuana at her house after the raid.


Alberta Spruill

Died May 16, 2003, age 57, New York City

cid:2F8EEB44-9912-4B2C-8964-32C8D1F9A489@mobilenotes.apple.com


Neighbors and friends of Alberta Spruill gather for a vigil. Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News via Getty Images

Alberta Spruill also died after police conducted a "no knock" raid at her home in error. Officers broke through her door and threw a concussion grenade while Spruill, a city employee, was getting ready for work. She was briefly handcuffed but released when officers realized they were in the wrong place and that the information they were given -- that guns and drugs were being stored in the apartment -- was incorrect. Spruill died of a heart attack at a nearby hospital less than two hours later.

The city of New York agreed to pay a $1.6 million settlement to Spruill’s family.


This case for them is not about money. It’s about changing procedure,” Johnnie Cochran, lawyer for Spruill’s sisters, said in 2003. “It’s about the fact that their sister should not have died in vain.”


Kendra James

Died May 5, 2003, age 21, Portland

cid:6F5B51E9-1B8B-4704-8FD3-A88AE8E40C9C@mobilenotes.apple.com


Ten years after Kendra James was killed by a Portland police officer, Huey P. Martin Jr. holds a booklet from her funeral during a rally for police accountability, May 5, 2013. Alex Milan Tracy/Corbis

Portland Police Officer Scott McCollister fatally shot Kendra James during a traffic stop. When McCollister pulled over James and driver Terry Jackson, he took Jackson into custody after seeing he had an outstanding warrant. James moved behind the wheel of the car and tried to drive away, and McCollister tried to stop her by clambering partially into the car and pulling her hair and using pepper spray and a Taser. James put the car into drive and McCollister shot her, claiming he was stuck in the doorway and feared for his life.

A grand jury declined to prosecute. The officer was initially suspended, but the disciplinary action was overturned by an arbitrator.




“It’s been 10 years later, justice has still not served,” James’ mother, Shirley Isadore, said at a 2013 rally marking the anniversary of her daughter’s death.
 
I. Three Black women created the #BlackLivesMatter movement.It is mostly Black women on frontlines of the protests that have spread across the country since Trayvon Martin’s murder in 2012. Black women march until blisters bubble up on their feet, write until their fingers cramp, get jailed for protesting the loss of Black male life, yet there is no reciprocity for Black girls and women killed by police. There has never been a national protest for any slain Black girl or woman killed by police. Black men have not showed up in the same way for the liberation of our girls and women. Black men as a whole are not shouting from the mountaintops the names of Rekia and Aura and Michelle. Black men with the lofty academic and TV platforms do not lift the voices of their sisters. They reserve those spaces for our boys and men. The media is not much better. After the initial report of said killing of a Black girl or woman, there is not much more unless written/covered by another Black woman. The outcry over dead Black female bodies never reaches the heights of Black males murdered by cops. As Black women lead the fight for liberation for ALL Black lives, everyone must begin acknowledging, amplifying, fighting for us.

Why?
 

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