2020 has so far been an eye opening year, for good and for bad. The good, because maybe this is the year real change is coming – with regards to racial inequality. The bad, that it took the death no, murder, of George Floyd. I would hope the fire that lit that match continues to burn because it will take a long time and alot of effort to keep the issue in the forefront and for real change to hopefully occur. The MSM would soon get tired and move onto the next story otherwise, à la the Flint Water Crisis, which is ongoing.
As such, I know there are plenty of places where you can find info and data on recent murders, but I wanted some place for myself, where I can go to help remember the names and stories of the victims…at least the ones we know about…
Last Updated: July 17th, 2020
#GeorgeFloyd – A unarmed black man killed during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after allegedly using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes as he lay handcuffed on the ground.
#CorneliusFredericks – An unarmed 16-year-old teen, died in May after he was restrained by staff members at a residential facility in Michigan, for throwing a sandwich.
#AhmaudArbery – An unarmed 25-year-old black man, was shot and killed near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia, while jogging.
#EliajahMcClain – A unarmed 23-year-old black man, who worked as a massage therapist, from Aurora, Colorado who was killed after an encounter with police while walking home on August 24, 2019 after buying tea for his brother.
#BreonnaTaylor – A 26-year-old black woman, who worked as an emergency medical technician, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers on March 13, 2020.
#AtatianaJefferson – A 28-year-old black woman, was fatally shot in her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, in the early morning of October 12, 2019.
#AuraRosser – A 40-year-old black woman, killed by police, after her boyfriend called police to their home because of a domestic dispute.
#StephonClark – A 22-year-old black man, was shot and killed in Sacramento, California by Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet, two officers of the Sacramento Police Department in the backyard of his grandmother’s house while he had a phone in his hand
#BothamJean – A 26-year-old black man, killed at home while seated on his sofa eating ice cream, by an off-duty police officer, who entered the home supposedly believing it was her apartment and he was an intruder.
#PhilandoCastille – A 32-year-old black man, was fatally shot during a traffic stop by Jeronimo Yanez, a 28-year-old police officer from St. Anthony, Minnesota.
#AltonSterling – A 37-year-old black man selling CDs and DVDs, was shot dead at close range by two white Baton Rouge Police Department officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
#MichelleCusseaux – A 50-year-old black woman, killed at home by police who had come to take her (under a court order) to a mental health facility
#FreddieGray – A 25-year-old black man who was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department and subsequently charged for possessing a knife, and fell into a coma while being transported in a police van; his death was ascribed to injuries to his spinal cord.
#JanishaFonville – A 20-year-old black woman, killed by police who were called to by someone who thought Fonville was suffering from mental distress and may harm herself.
#EricGarner – Murdered by a New York City Police Department officer, who put him in an illegal chokehold while arresting him (for selling loose cigarettes)
#AkaiGurley – A 28-year-old man, was fatally shot in Brooklyn, New York by NYPD patrolling stairwells NYCHA) housing.
#RedelKentelJones – A 30-year-old black woman, killed by police in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles, after police received a call about a pharmacy robbery by a woman who was purported to be carrying a large knife.
#GabriellaNevarez – A 22-year-old black woman, killed by police after they had asked her to pull over, and she rammed into a patrol car.
#TamirRice – A 12-year old boy killed in Cleveland, Ohio by Timothy Loehmann, a 26-year-old white police officer. Rice was carrying a toy gun; Loehmann shot him almost immediately after arriving on the scene.
#MichaelBrown – An 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by 28-year-old white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the city of Ferguson, Missouri.
#TanishaAnderson – A 37-year-old bipolar black woman, killed by police who were called by relatives because she was restless and trying to leave the house.
Interestingly, I noticed there aren’t many Wikipedia pages for the female victims. I wish relatives of the victims could create.
Resources:
Know Their Names – Al Jazeera Interactive
George Floyd warned police he thought he would die because he couldn’t breathe
The Killing Of Elijah McClain | The Cut
Criminal Charges Against The Officers Who Murdered Elijah McClain