MOBB United for Social Change Demands Justice from Topeka, KS for Dominique White
On Sept. 28, 2017, Dominique White was shot by Topeka police officers while he was in a park with a friend. Officers had been called to Ripley Park after a report of shots fired. Topeka police claim that he struggled with officers and reached for a gun in a pocket when he was shot at least once in the chest. However, White’s death certificate1 listed “gunshot wounds of back” as the immediate cause of death.
The Lawrence, KS police department is investigating the case and neither this agency nor the Topeka, KS police department have provided any information on the case. To add to the list of causes for concern, neither the Topeka nor the Lawrence police departments drew up an incident report until last week2, after it was picked up in the news that none existed.
Despite requests from local media, via the Kansas Open Records Act, the police department refuses to name the officers and will state only that they have been put on administrative leave. The department continues to shroud their investigation in secrecy, not releasing body camera footage or any details about the progress of their investigation3.
Once again, law enforcement officers have shot and killed a fleeing man.
Call To Action
#ProtectThem by demanding the City of Topeka, KS ensure justice is provided for Dominique White.
Please contact the city officials listed below and demand the following:
- The body camera footage from the Topeka police officers must be immediately released to Mr. White’s family and their attorney.
- The investigation by the Lawrence, KS police department should be thorough and transparent
- Demand that the City of Topeka create a Civilian Review Board to provide independent oversight of the Topeka PD and to provide independent, transparent investigations of all cases of police misconduct.
Bill Cochran,Topeka Chief of Police
1-785-368-9209
Larry Wolgast, Mayor of the City of Topeka
1-785-368-3895
[email protected]
Gregory Burns, Jr.,, Lawrence Chief of Police
1-785-832-7501
Notes:
2 https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/police-release-reports-related-to-shooting-of-topeka-man/
3 https://www.theroot.com/city-of-topeka-kan-trying-to-bar-black-mans-parents-f-1820437697
M.O.B.B. United for Social Change, Inc. is a nationwide coalition of moms who are dedicated to making the world a safer place for Black boys and men by eradicating harassment, brutality and unwarranted use of deadly force by law enforcement against our sons. The group was born out of frustration over the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile in Minnesota and numerous other innocent Black boys and men killed by police before and after them. It has grown into a mobilized force of moms determined to make a difference. We aim to influence both policy and perception that impact how Black boys and men are treated by law enforcement.