Lives
Lost
To
Police Brutality
Forever Remembered
Page 1
Between 2014 and 2019 over 6500 people have been killed by police in the United States with 25% being Black while only accounting for 13 percent of the population according to Aljazeera.com. This is a travesty that, although has gained more ground in the public eye, is an ongoing issue that has seen little to no headway in the ways of accountability or systematic changes to reduce the deaths. It is important that these names are not forgotten.
In 2020, George Floyd, 46, allegedly attempted to pay with a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. Floyd was then handcuffed and Officer Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. Floyd pleaded that he could not breathe until he was no longer responsive and passed away. Officer was still kneeling on Floyd’s neck when he become unresponsive.
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In 2020, Breonna Taylor, 26, was sleeping when three plain clothed officers arrived to execute a search warrant for a drug case. After knocking down the door with a ram, Kenneth Walker (Breonna’s boyfriend) fired a single shot and the police officers fired ten rounds, hitting Breonna eight times resulting in her death within minutes. In 2020, Daniel Prude, 41, was experiencing a mental health episode and ran into the street nude. Prude was compliant at first when emergency services arrived and then became agitated. After the officers placed a hood over Prude’s head, Officer Vaughn knelt on Prude’s head against the pavement. Prude told the police that they were trying to kill him, Prude died of asphyxiation. In 2020, Rayshard Brooks, 27, fell asleep in his vehicle and partially blocked a fast food drive through. After officers questioned him for over 40 minutes, the officers tried to restrain him and Rayshard began to flee. Officer Rolfe shot Rayshard in the back two times resulting in Rayshard’s death.
Page 3 In 2019, Atatiana Jefferson, 28, was at home when a police officer fired through the window and killed her in front of her nephew who was only eight years old. Officer Dean was responding to a call about Atatiana’s door being left open.
In 2014, Aura Rosser, 40, was at home when her boyfriend, Victor Stephans, called the police to escort her off of the premises due to an altercation between the two. When the officers arrived, she was holding a knife and refused to drop it. Officer Raab used a taser and Officer Ried killed her with a single round. In 2018, Stephon Clark, 22, was standing in the back yard of his grandmother. He was shot over twenty times by the police officers because the officers thought that the phone in his hand was a firearm.
Page 4 In 2018, Botham Jean, 26, was eating ice cream in his living room until off-duty police officer Guyger entered the wrong apartment and assumed he was an intruder. Officer Guyger shot and killed him.
In 2016, Philando Castille, 32, was pulled over for a routine traffic stop. Philando notified the officer that he had a legal firearm. Shortly after, Officer Yanez shot and killed Philando in from of his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her four year old daughter.
In 2016, Alton Sterling, 37, was selling some merchandise outside of a shop. He was confronted by two officers and was tasered and restrained on the ground. Alton was then shot six times after being threatened by Officer Salmoni who said that he would shoot Alton in the head.
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Black
Mat
tter
Page 6
Lives
BLM History
Page 7
The Black Lives Matter political will and movement building project was organized by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. It was started as a direct response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman. BLM is now a global network that has over forty chapters. These chapters organize to give support to communities to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities by the state and vigilantes where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted. BLM affirms Black lives humanity, contributions, and resilience to oppression
www.blacklivesmatter.com/
Page 8
Changes in Police Reform
The road to change has been slow and there is still a long way to go but there have been some changes. There have been several bans on choke-holds and tear gas. California passed bills on Sept 30th 2020 that banned the use of choke-holds and now allows the state Department of Justice to investigate police shootings. Minnesota banned neck restraints and choke-holds and also raised the threshold for what kinds of force can be used on civilians. Seattle banned tear gas and chokeholds. Connecticut also banned choke-holds and also prohibited the state’s emergency services from buy military grade equipment from the federal government. In Austin, Texas, the city council voted to limit the use of force for police and also reduced the departments budget. There has also been a wide spread push and enforcement for the use of body cameras across the United States as well. Although these are small changes that aid the people, there is still much work to be done until the state of police reform benefits the people and misuse of police power is truly held accountable. For more information on some police reform changes go here: https://www.axios.com/police-reform-george-floyd-protest-2150b2dd-a6dc4a0c-a1fb-62c2e999a03a.html
Monument Proposal
Page 9
Too often are Black people killed and swept under the rug by the police departments with no accountability taken. These events show flaws in the US policing system and the people that have been killed should not be forgotten and a memorial is a strong way to remember those who have been killed. The main challenge is creating a design that can be updated consistently as the issue is still current and needs to be dealt with. The images in text are projected onto the wall and rotate around from front to back. This allows for updates to the monument
Electric candles to imitate a candlelit vigil for the lives lost and locations to place wreathes and flowers by loved ones.
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Edge of the D.C. national mall in front of the Smithsonian Metro entrance
Possible Locations
GMU Campus, located along the major walkway in front of the Hub