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 The names of the victims who are remembered in our Memorial Mural happen to appear in the news with updates on juror selection process, trials, convictions of the killers, settlements with police departments, cities, etc.   When making these blog entries my heart grows a bit heavy, and yet I feel this is what commemorating means: honoring the individuals who lost their lives, so we might not forget, including the families’ continued struggles to find justice, recognition, accountability, or changes of laws and police practices. We must remember, and hopefully enact change. You can find an earlier entry on Elijah’s trial on September 6, and here is a follow-up:

Elijah McClain

Feb 25, 1996 ­– Aug 24, 2019

23 year old Massage Therapist, played violin, Aurora, Denver

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/19/us/elijah-mcclain-settlement.html

On Aug. 24, 2019, Mr. McClain was walking home from a convenience store when someone called 911, saying he “looked sketchy” and that he was wearing a ski mask and waving his arms.

After the police arrived, officers grabbed Mr. McClain’s arms, pushed him against a wall and pulled him to the ground. They subdued him with a “carotid hold,” which restricts blood to the brain.

Mr. McClain told the officers that he was simply walking home and asked them to let him go, according to an independent review.

“I’m an introvert and I’m different,” Mr. McClain told the police, according to audio recordings from the stop. “I’m just different. That’s all. That’s all I was doing. I’m so sorry.”

Comments

  1. JamieOctober 20, 2021 at 1:43 PM

    Thank you so much, Karina, for helping us keep Elijah McClain and his family in our hearts--both with the memorial mural, and in these blog updates. The details of Elijah's case, the pattern uncovered in recent investigations of racial bias in the Aurora PD, as well as police and medics colluding to take life rather than protect it--I'm reminded of the systemic nature of these racist killings, and the need to stay engaged as truth is uncovered and families and communities push for change.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alex KOctober 20, 2021 at 1:49 PM

    Heartbreaking to imagine him saying "I'm so sorry" as he was being murdered.

    ReplyDelete

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