Today, after months of fighting for justice in the police murder of Karon Hylton-Brown, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. announced the indictment of Terence Sutton for second-degree murder, one of the DC Police officers involved with this gross negligence of their duties and complete disregard for this young man’s life. He was also indicted with federal charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice, along with his supervisor Andrew Zabavsky.
On Sunday August 1, 2021 we were alerted to a video of a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer brutally punching Kimon Johnson in the head in Southeast D.C. This kind of brutality is not new for MPD, in the District of Columbia, and certainly not near Good Hope Rd. and 16th St. Southeast, but it is always unacceptable. It mirrors the experience of Derrick “Quan” Johnson at almost the same location on December 26, 2019. Quan was also not charged for the original stop or the second retaliatory one. Like Quan, we are so very glad he is still alive.
On September 4, 2020, 18-year old Deon Kay was murdered in broad daylight by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Officer Alexander Alvarez in Southeast Washington, DC. These MPD officers knew Deon. Some of the officers’ targeted harassment and brutality was shared with Black Lives Matter DC Core Organizer April Goggans by a family member the prior year. MPD stalked Deon’s Instagram, pulled up with their guns out, chased this child, creating the conditions to murder him, and shot him dead. But according to the new DC Auditor’s report, his murder was “justified.” There is no justification for the murder of Deon Kay. There is nothing justified about killing a Black child.
Washington, DC - Last summer as media outlets around the world covered mass mobilizations of people protesting the continuous murder of Black people, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser did not hesitate to take center stage. She rushed to commission the painting of the first of many Black Lives Matter Street Murals in the country and renamed the area Black Lives Matter Plaza. She exploited the righteous visceral pain and outrage that fueled grassroots uprising positioning herself as a uniquely “progressive” Black woman Mayor. Mayors Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, London Breed of San Francisco, and Lori Lightfoot of Chicago would similarly follow suit. The narrative took on a life of its own no longer centering the victims their police departments had murdered.
Marcus Goodwin is portraying himself as a champion of the people and Black empowerment. He’s attended rallies and calls for putting people over politics. However, the reality is much different. Because we believe that all Black lives matter, especially Black people in marginalized communities, DC BLM has no confidence in Marcus Goodwin and urges our supporters, members, and people of good conscience to NOT support his developer backed at-large council campaign.
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, Michael Sherwin, the Trump appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia (DC USAO) released a statement in response to DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s press conference. During the press conference she demanded prosecutors violate the 5th and 14th Amendments and prosecute protestors without due process and disregard probable cause. Sherwin simply explained that the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) lacked sufficient evidence to support any criminal charges against people exercising their first amendment rights.
Earlier today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Kevin Donahue announced the release of body-worn camera footage of the police murders of Jeffrey Price, Marqueese Alston, and D’Quan Young. Jeffrey Price (Ward 7) was chased to his death by MPD on May 4, 2018. Marqueese Alston’s (Ward 8) killing came just a month after MPD murdered D’Quan Young (Ward 5) who was shot and killed by MPD one less than a week later May 9, 2018.
Another victory for Black Lives Matter, DC! On Tuesday June 2, 2020, Black Lives Matter, DC filed for an Injunction against Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Peter Newsham for instituting a curfew effective on June 1, 2020 and June 2, 2020 from 7pm to 6am. The curfew led the Metropolitan Police Department, the Secret Service, the National Guard and various other Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to descend upon the District. Those Law Enforcement Agencies committed violent acts against protestors that could be considered felonies and war crimes if carried out in any other context.
