After murdering Sahleem TINDLE, BART Officer Joseph MATEU is still working. He needs to be fired and charged.
Demand police accountability.
Dear friend-- we cannot let killer cops get away with murder in our community. Another BART police officer has murdered another Black man and the cop is still on duty in Oakland.1 We have to act now to protect our streets.
Officer Joseph Mateu claimed Sahleem Tindle was armed and media outlets ran with his story launching a smear campaign to paint Sahleem as a criminal.2 The media just repeated the line the police gave them.3 His family was able to view the footage and his community rallied to get the facts out: Sahleem was grappling with another man on the ground but there's no way Mateu could have seen a weapon before he shot Sahleem, a father of two young children, in the back. After a partial video was leaked to the press, BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas released the full footage.4 We were there the next day when about 300 people showed up to a BART Board meeting to demand justice for Sahleem.5 Now, we have to keep the momentum going.
District Attorney Nancy O'Malley has the power to indict Mateu, and she must understand that her constituents are sick and tired of being sick and tired. This is about keeping our people safe and holding police accountable for their violence. Please take a moment to sign the petition to build the momentum needed to get justice for Sahleem and his family. We got us.
We know that police lie.6 We know that false media narratives have become a familiar pattern of misinformation after the murder of Black people at the hands of law enforcement. These narratives seek to criminalize victims of police brutality and let the officers responsible for their murders off the hook. When BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas gave a press conference to release the video, his stated attempts to “dispel misinformation” after portions of the video were “surreptitiously recorded” dared to somehow implicate the family in wrongdoing.7 It's clear : we cannot expect truth or justice to come from the police. And we cannot trust the police to investigate themselves. The District Attorney is in the best position to hold Mateu accountable. And she works for us.
Across the country, there's been an upswell of people recognizing what a difference a District Attorney can make and using elections as leverage to get unaccountable DAs out of office. Chicago, Philadelphia, and Houston have had success in electing DAs whose actions reflect community values.
O'Malley has said, “the district attorney’s job is to seek justice."8 Well, Sahleem's entire family has called for justice. His mother, Yolanda Banks Reed, and his brother, Karim, are putting their everything into fighting for Sahleem and at the same time dealing with the grief and trauma of having a loved one senselessly taken away. They have called for criminal charges to be brought against the officer who murdered their beloved brother, son, father, and partner. And they need our support right now. In times of tragedy, we all rely on community solidarity. So, let's show up for them.
We know outrage from the community has forced O'Malley to act before. In 2015, immense public pressure caused her to drop charges against the Black Friday 14-- Black Lives Matter activists who had shut down a BART station in protest of the very violence that killed Sahleem.9 Now, she's even more vulnerable to pressure and here's why : O'Malley was appointed in 2009 and ran for office unopposed in 2010. This is the first election where she has a viable opponent and will need to earn our votes. Now is a crucial time to remind her that she is accountable to the public for her decisions.
Until justice is real,
Clarise, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Enchanta, Anay, Malaya, Katrese, Kristen, Marena, Marybeth, Tamar, Lorran, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References :
1. "Mother of Man Killed by BART Officer Demands Criminal Charges." KQED News, 12 February 2018.
2. "Oakland cops investigating fatal shooting by BART police officer." SF Gate, 4 January 2018.
3. "Man shot by police near West Oakland BART identified." ABC News, 4 January 2018.
4. "BART releases full video of deadly police shooting." East Bay Times, 21 February 2018.
5. "Family of Man Shot by BART Police Press for Charges." East Bay Express, 22 February 2018.
6. "Why Police Lie Under Oath." The New York Times, 2 February 2013.
7. "BART Releases Body-Cam Video of Fatal West Oakland Police Shooting." KQED News, 21 February 2018.
8."Nancy O’Malley, Pamela Price debate for Alameda County’s top prosecutor’s seat." Oakland North, 29 September 2017.
9. "Alameda County District Attorney drops charges against Black Lives Matter protesters." Daily Kos, 4 December 2015.
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.
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