When Micah Xavier Johnson killed five cops in Dallas, Texas, a robot with a bomb attached to it was detonated, killing Johnson. His consequence for his actions was death. When Gavin Long killed three cops in Baton Rouge, La., he was gunned down by police. His consequence for his actions was death. However, when cops that we pay to protect us kill innocent unarmed Black and Latino people, there are no consequences. They walk away freely to kill again. Here is a long list of innocent Black and Latino people killed unjustifiably by NYPD.
10-year-old Clifford Glover—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
15-year-old Randy Evans—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
13-year-old Nicholas Heyward Jr.—killed by NYPD. No jail time.
Amadou Diallo—killed by the NYPD in a hail of 41 bullets, 19 hit him. No jail time.
Sean Bell—killed by the NYPD in a hail of 50 bullets, four hit him. No jail time.
Timothy Stansbury—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Malcolm Ferguson—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Patrick Dorismond—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Ousmane Zongo—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Eleanor Bumpers (grandmother)—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Alberta Spruill (grandmother)—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Mohamed Bah—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Arthur Miller—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Ramarley Graham—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Kimani Gray—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Tamon Robinson—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Shantel Davis—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Anthony Rosario—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Peter Funches—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Akai Gurley—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Eric Garner—killed by the NYPD. No jail time.
Delrawn Small Dempsey—killed by the NYPD. Case pending.
Unfortunately, this list is only a small sampling of the cases in New York. I ask the families of loved ones who are not listed to forgive me. I would need the entire Amsterdam News to list all the cases of cops killing innocent Black and Latino people in New York and across this nation. Presently, I am fighting for justice in the case of Delrawn Small Dempsey who was cold-bloodedly killed by an off-duty NYPD officer in East New York. A video surfaced that showed clearly that the police officer lied in the initial reports that were released. Dempsey did not start punching the officer in the face when he approached the officer’s car. Dempsey was shot and killed the second he approached the officer’s car. He didn’t have a chance to throw a punch. The special prosecutor, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, has this case. We must keep the heat in the streets to get justice in this case. Thankfully, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson wasn’t assigned to this case. He is the one who betrayed the Black community by recommending “no jail time” for officer Peter Liang, who was convicted by a jury for manslaughter in the Akai Gurley case.
The media, political leaders and others are trying to turn our attention away from these killer cops and focus our attention toward cops who were killed. We must be vigilant, intelligent and unrelenting in our demand for justice. When cops are killed, the killers are punished with death. When cops kill us, they walk away freely. That’s a fact. We’re living in a dangerous state of emergency. The climate is being set for police to escalate their attacks on innocent Black and Latino people. We must continue to mobilize and organize against the police terrorizing our communities. There is always a call for community and police dialog and retraining for police when they kill us. I say talk is cheap. The police are already trained. Jail killer cops!