Betty Shelby killed Terrence Crutcher. But she was acquitted. Then, she was reinstated as an officer in the Tulsa Police Department and now, her record has been expunged by the court. Agencies completing background checks on Shelby won’t find this incident of police brutality. As a result, Shelby will be able to continue to serve as a law enforcement officer. How can we continue to accept the return to duty of officers who are unfit for the job, such as Shelby? Where is the justice for Terrence Crutcher and for his family that Shelby can return to work, return to her life, but Mr. Crutcher cannot? Removing this case from Shelby’s record demonstrates how little Mr. Crutcher’s life mattered to the justice system and how easy it is for police officers to get away with violence.

On November 14, 2017, we learned about Lyndo Jones who became yet another victim to racial bias in policing on November 8th and almost lost his life as a result. Jones, an unarmed citizen, accidentally set off his vehicle alarm only to wind up being assaulted, shot, and unlawfully detained by 10-year veteran of the Mesquite Police Department, Derick L. Wiley. Wiley is currently on administrative leave.

On July 20, 2017, Keegan Roberts was shot to death by his neighbor Michael Centanni IV in Jacksonville, FL. Centanni claimed self defense and no charges were brought against him even though Centanni, who was armed, approached Roberts who was sitting in his own vehicle in his driveway at night. Centanni then proceeded to argue with Roberts leading to Centanni shooting Roberts 3 times. Centanni claims that Roberts was the aggressor and that he was just defending himself.  Roberts’ family believes Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law protected Centanni in spite of his clearly aggressive behavior and targeting of Roberts on his own property.

MOBB United for Social Change, Inc has been alerted to yet another occurrence of potential excessive use of force by law enforcement officers.  The graphic video depicting two Rawlinson Middle School students fighting and show a Northside police officer intervening however with apparent sole focus on the young black student. We are shocked and concerned to see how this student was handled in a rough manner by the intervening officer. Although it is reported that the officer is on administrative leave, MUSC through moms in and around the San Antonio area will be closely monitoring this case, watching how the district investigation is handled and shared with the community. 

Dear Mr. President,

On Friday, you said something that was unprecedentedly reckless for a person holding the highest office of the land. In a speech to a room full of law enforcement officers in Suffolk County, NY, you encouraged officers to rough up people they arrest and to not worry so much about being careful to protect them.

Beyond the Department of Justice Announcement

We stand united and in full support of the family of Alton Sterling Family in their quest for justice. We are deeply disappointed, but not daunted, by the Department of Justice announcement that the officers responsible for Alton Sterling’s death would not face federal civil rights charges.