Black people are so tired. 😓

 

We can’t go jogging (#AhmaudArbery).

Ahmaud Arbery

• Ahmaud Arbury, 25 years old, was chased, shot, and killed by white men in a pickup truck while he was jogging.
• The attackers were Gregory McMichael, a former police officer and retired investigator for the DA’s office, and his son Travis.
• The men were not arrested until 74 days later after weeks of public outcry.
• McMichaels charged with felony murder and aggravated assault. Denied bond.

 

We can’t relax in the comfort of our own homes (#BothemJean and #AtatianaJefferson). And #BreonnaTaylor).

Bothem Jean

• Botham Jean, 26 years old, was fatally shot in his own home when an off-duty police officer entered his apartment, mistaking it for her own, and open fired upon seeing him.
• Amber Guyger sentenced 10 years for killing Bothem Jean in the “wrong apartment”.

Atatiana Jefferson

• Atatiana Jefferson, 28 years old, was fatally shot in her own home by a police officer responding to a neighbor calling about her front door being open. She was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew.
• Aaron Dean indicted and released on bond.

Breonna Taylor

• Breonna Taylor, 26 years old, was shot and killed while in her own bed after police officers used a battering ram to enter her apartment in the middle of the night while searching for suspects who were, at the time, already in custody.
• The officers fired over twenty shots. Taylor was shot eight times. The police filed an incident report which was nearly entirely blank and false.
• All officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative reassignment pending the outcome of an investigation.

 

We can’t ask for help after being in a car crash (#JonathanFerrell and #RenishaMcBride).

Jonathan Ferrell

• Jonathan Ferrell, 24 years old, was fatally shot 10 times by a police officer while seeking help after being involved in a car accident.
• When he went to a nearby home seeking assistance, the owner of the home didn’t call for an ambulance. Instead, they called the police, reporting a home burglary in process.
• Hung jury, case will not be retried by Gov. Roy Cooper

Renisha McBride

• Renisha McBride, 19 years old, was shot in the face after coming to Theodore Wafer’s home in a predominantly white neighborhood hours after crashing her car nearby.
• Found guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and possession of a firearm

 

We can’t have a cellphone (#StephonClark).

Stephon Clark

• Stephon Clark, 22 years old, was fatally shot 8 times (primarily in the back) in his grandmother’s backyard by police officers responding to a report of a man breaking car windows. Officers mistook his cellphone for a gun.
• Officers not charged

 

We can’t leave a party to get to safety (#JordanEdwards).

Jordan Edwards

• Jordan Edwards, 15 years old, was fatally shot by police officer while leaving a party with his two brothers and two friends.
• Officer sentenced to 15 years.

 

We can’t play loud music (#JordanDavis).

Jordan Davis

• Jordan Davis, 17 years old, was fatally shot at a gas station following an argument with a man over loud music played by Jordan and his friends.
• Hung jury in the first trial, found guilty of the first-degree murder in second trial

 

We can’t sell CD’s (#AltonSterling).

Alton Sterling

• Alton Sterling, 37 years old, was fatally shot by police officers while selling CDs outside of a store.
• Officers, responding to a call of a man threatening outside with a handgun, tased Sterling and then shot him three times for “reaching for a gun”.
• Officers not charged.

 

We can’t sleep (#AiyanaJones)

Aiyana Jones

• Aiyana Jones, 7 years old, was fatally shot while sleeping in her grandmother’s arms when police conducted a surprise raid in search for a murder suspect that lived in the apartment upstairs.
• Captured on video by an A&Ecrew filming an episode of The First 48, its true-crime program.
• Officer not charged.

 

We can’t walk from the corner store (#MikeBrown).

Mike Brown

• Mike Brown, 18 years old, was fatally shot by a police officer for allegedly stealing a pack of cigarillos from a shop.
• Brown had his hands up in surrender and said “don’t shoot” before he was shot at least six times. Protesters to this day use the slogan “hands up, don’t shoot”.
• His body left on the street for hours as community members watched on.
• Officer not charged.

 

We can’t play cops and robbers (#TamirRice).

Tamir Rice

• Tamir Rice, 12 years old, was fatally shot by a police officer while throwing snowballs and playing with a toy gun.
• Officers were responding to a call that a male “keeps pulling a gun out of his pants and pointing it at people” and that the gun is probably fake and the male is probably a juvenile. The officer fired a shot within two seconds of getting out of his car.
• It took over two years for the officer to be fired.
• Officer not charged
• Would this have happened if it was a little white boy? Cop did not disclose history of being deemed an “emotionally unstable recruit and unfit for duty” when applying to this department.

 

We can’t go to church (#Charleston9).

Charleston 9 / Charleston church massacre

• During a routine Bible study at the church, white supremacist Dylann Roof, opened fire with a handgun, killing Clementa Pinckney (41), Cynthia Hurd (54), Susie Jackson (87), Ethel Lance (70), Depayne Middleton-Doctor (49), Tywanza Sanders (26), Daniel Simmons (74), Sharonda Coleman-Singleton (45) and Myra Thomspon (59)
• Roof charged with nine counts of murder and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, 3 counts of attempted murder, 12 hate crime charges and 12 counts of violating people’s freedom of religion. He’s been sentenced to death on federal charges and life in prison on state charges.

 

We can’t walk home with Skittles (#TrayvonMartin).

Trayvon Martin

• Trayvon Martin, 17 years old, was fatally shot by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman during a physical altercation between the two.
• After reporting to 911 a “suspicious person”, Zimmerman disregarded instructions to remain in his car.
• Claiming self-defense, Zimmerman found not guilty. #BlackLivesMatter began as a hashtag on twitter following Zimmerman’s acquittal in 2013.
• Photographs have emerged of Zimmerman autographing bags of Skittles (what Trayvon was carrying when murdered) in front of a Confederate flag.

 

We can’t hold a hair brush while leaving our own bachelor party (#SeanBell).

Sean Bell

• Sean Bell, 23 years old, was fatally shot by undercover police officers on his wedding day.
• Sean was leaving his bachelor party with friends and family when they were gunned down with over 50 rounds.
• Officers acquitted

 

We can’t party on New Years (#OscarGrant).

Oscar Grant

• Oscar Grant, 22 years old, was fatally shot by police officer on New Year’s Day.
• Oscar and others were detained by officers responding to reports of a fight on the metro/train. The officer claimed to have mistakenly shot Oscar instead of tasing him.
• Found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Sentenced two years. Released under parole after serving 11 months.

 

We can’t get a normal traffic ticket (#SandraBland).

Sandra Bland

• Encinia had a history of performing pretextual traffic stops, having issued 1,600 mostly minor tickets in less than 12 months, using the pretext of little-enforced minor infractions to then perform random searches in the hope of finding something criminal.[2]He began following Bland in Prairie View, Texas on the afternoon of July 10, 2015, accelerating fast on her rear, closing in so near to her that she changed lanes to give him the right of way, believing he was headed to an emergency call[2] – at which point he pulled her over on University Drive[22] for failure to signal a lane change,[23][24] though he could have still stopped her if she did signal, under a different section of the Texas Transportation Code requiring a continuous lane change signal for a minimum of 100 feet (30 m).[2] In a series of events recorded by his dashcam, along with a bystander and Bland herself, Encinia spoke to Bland, the interaction became heated, and he pulled her from her car. After they moved out of frame, he forced her on the ground, and arrested her.[5]
• Sandra Bland, 28 years old, found hanged in a jail cell after being arrested for an alleged traffic violation.
• Officer who lied about being afraid for his life was suspended for 3 years and now works security in the private sector.
• “Sandra Bland Law” passed in Texas provides some minimal things to help such as requiring de-escalation training of all Texas police, Texas has sat on a bill for over a year that would have kept Sandra alive: prohibiting arrests for certain misdemeanors punishable by fine only.

 

We can’t lawfully carry a weapon (#PhilandoCastile).

Philando Castile

• Philando Castile, 32 years old school cafeteria worker who often paid for kids lunches himself, was fatally shot by a police officer 7 times during a traffic stop when he reached for his driver’s license. He let the officer know he had a legal gun.
• Castile’s fiancée, live-streamed the aftermath on Facebook
• Five months after the incident, officer Yanez was charged with second-degree manslaughterand two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm.[10] After five days of deliberation, he was acquitted of all charges on June 16, 2017 in a jury trial,[11][12] and was immediately fired by the City of Saint Anthony.[13] Wrongful death lawsuits against the City brought by Reynolds and Castile’s family were settled for $3.8 million.

 

We can’t break down on a public road with car problems (#CoreyJones).

Corey Jones

• Corey Jones, 31 years old, was fatally shot by an off-duty police officer while stranded and waiting for a tow truck.
• Officer charged with manslaughter and first degree murder and sentenced 25 years.

 

We can’t shop at Walmart (#JohnCrawford) .

John Crawford

• John Crawford, 22 years old, was fatally shot by police officers at a Walmart for picking up a pellet gun for sale in the store. He was falsely accused of pointing the BB gun at people. Video footage shows officers shooting him before asking him any questions.
• Officers not charged.

 

We can’t have a disabled vehicle (#TerenceCrutcher).

Terence Crutcher

• Terence Crutcher, 40 years old, was fatally shot by police officer whose vehicle was found stalled in a road.
• Dashcam footage showed Crutcher raising his hands moments before Shelby shot and killed him.
• Officer found not guilty and now teaches other police officers how to ‘survive’ such incidents.

 

We can’t read a book in our own car (#KeithScott).

Keith Scott

• Keith Scott, 43 years old, fatally shot by police officer while reading and waiting in his truck for his young son to come home from school.
• Keith’s wife recorded the murder as she pleads for the cops not to shoot.
• Officers not charged.

 

We can’t be a 10yr old walking with our grandfather (#CliffordGlover).

Clifford Glover

• Clifford Glover, 10 years old, fatally shot by undercover police officer in 1973.
• He was walking with his grandfather, when a car pulled up and out jumped 2 men with guns. Clifford and his father tried to run, fearing they were going to be robbed, but one of the gunmen fired. Before firing the fatal shot that would strike little Clifford in the back and take his life, the man yelled out, “You black son of a bitches!”
• The officer was the first NYPD to be tried for murder while on duty. He was found not guilty.

 

We can’t decorate for a party (#ClaudeReese).

Claude Reese

• Claude Reese, 14 years old, was fatally shot by a police officer in 1974. Officers were investigating a possible burglary in Claude’s apartment building. Claude and his friends were decorating the basement for a friend’s birthday party. The officer shot Claude for thinking the handsaw was a gun.
• Office stripped of duties but continued working for the PD.

 

We can’t ask a cop a question (#RandyEvans).

Randy Evans

• Randy Evans, 15 years old, fatally shot by police officer responding to a call in Randy’s apartment. Randy asked “Did you go into Apartment 70?”, and the officer replied “Damned right” and shot him point blank in the head.
• Officer found not guilty, but remanded to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.

 

We can’t cash our check in peace (#YvonneSmallwood).

Yvonne Smallwood

• Yvonne Smallwood, 28 years old, died while in police custody, six days after being arrested in a dispute over a summons issued to her boyfriend. While police said Smallwood attacked them, her boyfriend and another witness said they saw police kick and beat Smallwood, who died from a blood clot.
• Officers not charged.

 

We can’t take out our wallet (#AmadouDiallo).

Amadou Diallo

• Amadou Diallo, 23 years old, was fatally shot by police officers who said they believed him to look like a rape suspect from a year-old case, opened fire on Amadou outside his home.
• Officers found not guilty.

We can’t run (#WalterScott).

Walter Scott

• Walter Scott, 50 years old, fatally shot by police officer five times in the back for running away after being pulled over for a broken taillight.
• Officer sentenced to 20 years.

 

We can’t breathe (#EricGarner & #GeorgeFloyd).

Eric Garner

• Eric Garner, 43 years old, died from a choke hold from a police officer. Garner was arrested on suspicion of illegally selling loose cigarettes.
• His dying words “I can’t breathe” became a rallying cry for protests against police brutality.
• Officer not charged

George Floyd

• George Floyd, 46 years old, died from a police choke hold for allegedly using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes.
• The police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds as he cried out for his dead mother repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe”.
• After Floyd’s death, protests were held globally against police brutality, spurring the largest civil rights movement in history.

 

We can’t live (#FreddieGray).

Freddie Gray

• Freddie Gray, 25 years old, died from cervical spine injury from police brutality and neglect after being thrown into a police van for having an illegal switchblade, when—in actuality—it was regular spring-assisted folding knife many people carry.
• Officers found not guilty, and still work in Baltimore PD, but settlement paid to family.

 

 

We’re tired.

Tired of making hashtags.

Tired of trying to convince you that our #BlackLivesMatter too.

Tired of dying.

Tired.

Tired.

Tired.

So very tired.