After reading about the significance of October 22, I began planning to participate in the annual national movement to speak out against police brutality. I started back in March, when I ordered posters that had “Police Brutality did not die on September 11th” printed on them from the October 22 Coalition in New York. All during the spring and summer, I was working on organizing the event. On August 30, I invited attorney Emma Jones, from Connecticut, to be the keynote speaker. If you recall, Emma is the person who suggested that I appear at city council meetings.
On October 22, we facilitated a program in observance of the annual National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality. We called it a Rally for Justice. It was held at Second Missionary Baptist Church, the congregation in which Dwight and I were active when we lived in Chattanooga. Financially, the rally was supported by private donations, including the family, the Unity Group, and the Clergy Koinonia. The Unity Group is composed of leaders from a cross-section of Chattanooga. Members are mostly African Americans, similar to the racial composition of the Clergy Koinonia, an organization of ministers in Chattanooga.
The annual October 22 observance was started years ago by the organizers of the Stolen Lives Project, which contends that one of the greatest tragedies of police brutality is the suffering of family members who must struggle, sometimes with virtually no help, to seek justice for the brutalization or loss of a loved one. As described previously, the Stolen Lives Project is a joint venture of the Anthony Baez Foundation, the National Lawyers Guild, and the October 22 Coalition to stop police brutality, repression, and the criminalization of a generation. The mission of the Stolen Lives Project is to assemble a national list of people killed by law enforcement agents from 1990 to the present. More than two thousand cases were documented in the second edition of Stolen Lives, a book published in 1999. The project aims to restore some dignity to the lives stolen and not allow those lives to be forgotten.4
It was significant to have Emma as our speaker. In addition to her being a community activist and humanitarian, she is the mother of a son killed by a police officer. Malik, Emma’s unarmed African American son, was shot and killed by a white police officer in East Haven, Connecticut, on April 14, 1997. Malik was shot multiple times while sitting in his car. The officer was never held accountable for his actions. Subsequently, he was promoted and eventually retired in 2012 as the department’s spokesperson.5
On October 13, we mailed out a flyer and a letter discussing the rally. This communication was sent not only to our friends and relatives but also to supporters of other victims of police brutality in Chattanooga. To reach our supporters directly, we sent letters to persons who had signed the memory book at the visitation prior to Leslie’s funeral. The local CBS television station assisted us in spreading the word. I was an invited guest on local talk show Point of View. Although I discussed the program for the rally, my focus was to increase awareness that police brutality is a nationwide problem. Also, the rally was announced in the Chattanooga Courier. In the newspaper article, it was stated that everyone was invited to attend and join other concerned citizens to learn strategies to deal with police brutality. The article summarized items communicated in the flyer:
If you believe in justice for all; believe in upholding The Constitution of the United States; believe that there should not be a double standard for justice; believe that no one should be above the law; believe that terrorism perpetrated by police officers in communities should end; believe that police officers should serve and protect all citizens, not just some; believe that the Blue Wall should be dismantled; and believe that enough is enough and that there has been too much suffering already; then come to the Rally. Join other concerned citizens for justice, and the family and friends of victims of police brutality, as well as victims who have survived these brutal attacks. Your support is needed and welcomed to voice your belief in human rights for all citizens.
In addition to individuals, community groups were represented to support the cause. These included our church, the Unity Group, Clergy Koinonia, United for Democracy and Justice, Concerned Citizens for Justice, the Nation of Islam, and the local Rainbow Push Coalition. The local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had not reached out to us, but I asked their president to give the welcome on the program and he agreed. His brief appearance on the program was the local NAACP’s only presence in our fight for justice.
Based on our goals, the rally was a success; it was well attended and attracted media presence. There were probably some curiosity seekers in attendance, but that was all right. Hopefully, they were able to learn something from the speakers. I invited representatives from a cross-section of the community, and they attended. I also invited the police chief, but he chose not to attend. I had hoped that law enforcement officials in Chattanooga would attend as a way of publicly standing for justice, which was the focus of our activities. I guess that was asking too much. It seemed as though they were always on the defensive to protect the interest of police officers, or cover up their misdeeds, regardless of the circumstances. I always felt that the absence of the police chief was a missed opportunity to make a statement that he supported justice for everyone. If there were any representatives of the police department or the mayor’s office there, they did not make their presence known.
Activities January 2005–December 2005
Our making noise continued into 2005. I didn’t want Leslie’s homicide to become a cold case. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” We needed to continue activities to seek justice and to let law enforcement officials know that we had not forgotten Leslie. I felt like the police chief wished that we would just ride off into the sunset to Missouri, never to be heard from again. I even sent an e-mail message to filmmaker and author Michael Moore to ask him to write about this epidemic of police brutality sweeping the country. Fortunately, many Chattanooga residents didn’t forget Leslie. They continued to contact me with their stories of injustice or expressions of concern about Leslie’s unlawful death. I heard some horror stories from others who were abused by Chattanooga’s “finest” but managed to survive their injuries. All of the accounts didn’t involve excessive force. Some instances were of police officers lying and using their power to arrest people without cause, resulting in incarceration or loss of income from having to pay court fees and attorneys.
On February 28, I was contacted by a consultant who was under contract with the National Association of the Mentally Ill (NAMI), on behalf of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. She was working on a training video for troopers but felt that police departments could benefit from the same training. The focus was to present strategies to avoid aggressive behavior and employ safe practices after encountering motorists with suspicious behavioral issues. She wanted to interview us as part of the video. We agreed and traveled to Chattanooga for the interview and filming. After completion of her video, the segments including Leslie’s case were not accepted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. She was told to delete that footage.
On April 26, I sent an e-mail to an assistant producer with Dateline/NBC News. She responded by thanking me for the information. She also stated, “I am going to review all of this carefully and then I will get back to you on what, if anything, I can do.” That was the end of her correspondence with me.
Stedman Graham spoke on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University on April 27. I was among those invited to attend a private dinner with him. I knew that I could not have a one-on-one meeting with him, so on the back of my business card, I wrote a brief summary of why I would like contact with Oprah. I asked him to give the card to her. I never received a response. I imagine that he was accustomed to getting many such requests, but I had to try anyway.
In the June 2, 2005, edition of the Chattanooga News Free Press, a quote from Chattanooga City Councilwoman Rutherford was printed. Her statement, which she voiced during the public council meeting
, was “Do I want police officers to treat each citizen equally? Yes I do. But do I want to hammer this subject in the ground? No I don’t.”
I imagined if she had an unarmed son killed by the police, she might have felt differently. Also, one might ask, “Should there be a time limit when seeking justice?” In addition to our family, other residents had publicly pleaded with council members to address their concerns about police brutality. Rutherford, a white female, represented District 6, an area highly populated with African Americans. Based on Rutherford’s statement, I suppose she didn’t want to hear any more about police misconduct from her constituents. In my opinion, she was abusing her positional authority, which has been identified as the socially constructed understanding of one’s world and oneself.6 What could possibly have been her motives for making such a statement, unless she perceived herself as living in a different world from her constituents?
After reading the newspaper article mailed to me from my friend Ingrid, I was furious. Dwight and I traveled to Chattanooga to attend the council meeting on June 14. I felt that a public reaction was warranted, because she had made such an outrageous statement in public. I read a prepared a statement. Among my comments, I noted that statements of that nature served as a green light for police perpetrators of brutality. Attitudes expressed verbally, comparable to her statement, secure a system of injustice. I also noted that I recognize that there are good officers who serve and protect. Because of the lack of accountability in Chattanooga for deaths from police brutality, I asked council members, “Who serves and protects citizens, all citizens, from the police?” and “Who protects constitutional rights and ensures due process for all citizens?”
My prepared statement also included the following:
I have friends and relatives who reside in District 6. They have assured me that they will not vote for Marti Rutherford in the future. They believe in justice for all. They believe in accountability of persons who commit crimes, even if they are wearing a uniform and badge. I pray that all eligible voters in District 6 will vote. For all voters in the district who want equal and fair treatment for themselves, their families, and neighbors, even if the subject has to be hammered in the ground, I plead with you to not vote for Marti Rutherford. Do I believe that police should be respected? Yes I do. Do I believe that this respect comes merely from putting on a uniform, accessorized with a badge, gun, baton, pepper spray, and a Taser? No I don’t.
Activities January 2006–December 2006
Connections to the public continued during 2006, including more media contacts. During that year, we assumed more roles with audiences outside of Chattanooga. We still had been unable to attract national attention to Leslie’s homicide, but we could expand our activities to other markets. In addition to visibility in Chattanooga, we sought other opportunities to expose persons in other cities and states to the problems with police brutality.
On January 2, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) held its annual Jubilee Day program. Printed in the program was the statement, “It is significant that Black Americans come together to celebrate their freedom from slavery and to reshape the strategies for facing equality for justice for the future.” That may sound good, but on January 2, 2006, the second anniversary of Leslie’s death, our attendance was not an experience that supported those words. In the printed program, it further stated:
For nearly a century now, socially conscious individuals from all walks of life, from all parts of the political spectrum, of all races and religions, have done something wonderful. They have dared to speak out for that which is right and against that which is wrong. They’ve all believed that civil rights are for everyone, that democracy is for everyone, and not just for some. They are unafraid to speak the truth. The primary focus of the NAACP continues to be the protection and enhancement of the civil rights of African Americans and other minorities.
We discovered that the local NAACP president did not practice actions corresponding to the words in the program. This was a different president from the one present at our 2004 rally. The president we encountered that day displayed actions toward us that were disgraceful and totally opposite the expectations one might have of a declared champion for civil rights.
Prior to the beginning of the program, Dwight and I were outside the church, passing out flyers with accurate information about Leslie’s homicide. To enter the church from the sidewalk, one had to walk up several steep steps to reach a landing, where we stood. We offered the flyers to persons who wanted them. We did not try to intimidate anyone or force attendees to receive a flyer. Because of our decades of residency in Chattanooga, we knew many of the people in attendance and chatted briefly with them. Everyone seemed supportive, interested, and pleased to receive a copy of the flyer. Our plan was to join the audience when the program began. We had no plans to pass out any information inside the church or be disruptive in any way.
Approximately fifteen minutes before the program started, the NAACP president came out of the church, approached Dwight, and immediately began a dialogue. I was standing in an area near him but could not hear the discussion. I then walked over to where they were standing. According to Dwight, she asked us to leave. To make sure he heard her correctly, he asked her, “What did you say?” She said, “I am asking you to leave and maybe go to the parking lot.” Dwight said, “Are you asking me to leave the church property?” She then said, “You are trying to put words in my mouth.” Dwight responded, “No, I am interpreting the words that just came out of your mouth. Don’t you believe that our struggle is connected with your program?” There was no response. I asked her, “Are you saying you don’t want us to attend the program?” Again, there was no response. The confrontation was quickly escalating into an argument. It was not our intention to create a scene, especially with the media being present. So, we decided to go to the bottom of the steps and stand on the public sidewalk to continue passing out the flyers.
As we were on the sidewalk, Booker, a close friend, came up to us and expressed his excitement at seeing us at the event. He asked, “Are you all going to be on the program?” My response was “No, the NAACP president doesn’t even want us at the program and we were asked to leave.” Booker shared in our amazement of how we were treated. Another person I will mention is the late Judge Bob Moon, a respected judicial figure in the community. He approached us and expressed his sympathy for Leslie’s death and support for our cause. Without divulging any confidential information, he did say to us that something was going to happen soon that he felt would please us. Later that year, it was publicly announced that Chief Steve Parks was going to retire. I’m not certain, but I always felt it was that information to which Judge Moon referred, because Steve Parks’s announcement certainly pleased us.
We have an extensive network of relationships in Chattanooga. That NAACP president was not a native Chattanoogan and was unaware of our circle of influence. When we told members of the audience how we were treated, many expressed their disgust at the actions of that NAACP president. Some of those people were longtime NAACP members and officers of the organization. In fact, I personally knew six members of the branch’s executive committee. Until we shared our experience, they were not aware of the incident. As originally planned, we did attend the event, which was open to the public. A friend of ours, who also happened to be an officer with the local NAACP, came and sat with us as she entered the church. We told her what had just transpired. She expressed shock and outrage and vowed to find out why we had experienced such treatment. Immediately prior to the conclusion of the program, we went back to our sidewalk location and continued to pass out flyers. As other persons were leaving the program, some volunteered to help us and asked for multiple flyers. They positioned themselves at various other locations along the sidewalk to distribute our information.
While we were still distributing flyers, our friend and NA
ACP officer approached us with the outcome of the conversation she had just completed with the president. In response to her direct question of why the Praters were asked to leave, the president said, “Because they are suing the police department and the city.” That response was even more shocking than her misguided actions. If she had been supporting the collective mission of the NAACP to struggle for justice and confront injustice, the local NAACP branch would have joined us in the lawsuit. Instead, they avoided interacting with us.
Dwight wrote a commentary prompted by our reaction to that experience and submitted it to a local media outlet, but it was never printed. Here are questions he included in that opinion piece:
Has the local chapter changed its name from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to the National Association for the Abandonment of Colored People?
Have you changed your agenda to do only those things that are expedient and politically correct?
Have you ever considered the question, “Why is the membership decreasing?” Could it be that your vision has become that of short-sightedness?
Have you considered the fact that your current agenda does not tackle the core issues that are common in today’s life?
When do you deal with the core issues of injustice and brutality against the people?
At that time, the presiding NAACP president had no concept of the real message of Jubilee Day. Simply because slavery was officially outlawed decades before January 2, 2006, didn’t mean that African Americans were free from being enslaved. I liken her actions to those of slave masters, who were gatekeepers of oppression and opposed freedom. To be free requires more than a piece of paper stating that one is free. Yes, on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed an executive order, the Emancipation Proclamation, the document that freed the slaves. And even in 2017, many African Americans are pondering the question, “Are we free yet?”
Excessive Use of Force Page 21