U.S : The constant police violence continues--demand justice for Saheed VASSELL !

34-year-old Saheed Vassell was murdered by the NYPD in Brooklyn

Mayor Bill DeBlasio has taken no action to meet Saheed's families demands for justice or to offer any form of transparency.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Dear friend,

Around 4:30 pm on Wednesday, April 4th, Saheed VASSELL a 34-year-old Black man was murdered by the New York Police Department in Brooklyn.¹ Four police officers, three of whom were dressed in plainclothes, fired, at minimum, ten shots at Saheed as he stood on a street corner in broad daylight. The police were shooting so recklessly that a bullet went through the window of a corner store that Saheed was standing near. Black lives are being violently taken far too frequently by trigger happy police officers and we need local accountability from New York City Mayor Bill DEBLASIO.

We must come together for Saheed and demand justice NOW.

Saheed was holding a metal pipe that the police say they mistook for a gun. However, witnesses say that the police officers never told him to drop what he was holding, they didn't announce themselves, and they didn't confirm that he was holding a gun before shooting.² Saheed was later taken to Kings County Hospital where he was pronounced dead. None of the officers were wearing body cameras.³

Saheed, a staple in his Crown Heights neighborhood was known by his neighbors to be mentally challenged and the NYPD had even classified him as an emotionally disturbed person. However, the officers did nothing to de-escalate Saheed's known symptoms and instead started shooting immediately when they pulled up, in an unmarked police car, to the corner where Saheed was standing.²

These officers clearly had options. They chose to fire at and kill Saheed and Mayor Bill DeBlasio needs to act now and hold these police accountable.

Join us in demanding Mayor Bill DeBlasio : 

• Immediately release the names of all officers involved in Saheed's murder as well as any previous misconduct claims filed against those officers

• Release all unedited audio and video footage of officers before, during, and after the killing of Saheed

• End the over-deployment of the hyper-militarized Strategic Response Group in communities, who's officers responded to police calls about Saheed

Sign the petition to tell DeBlasio that the moment is NOW--the entire country is watching and demanding that he do the right thing and stand against police murder.

It's almost been a month since Saheed was killed and we still don't know the names of the officers responsible for his death--this is something Saheed's parents have been asking for since the day they lost their son. 

Saheed was murdered on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, reminding us so somberly that the murder of Black people at the hands of the state remains ever-present and that the fight for justice continues.

We all have a role to play in this moment--sign the petition.

Until justice is real,

Arisha, Rashad, Scott, Clarise, Kristen, Marena, Anay, and the rest of the Color Of Change team  

References : 

1. "Police shoot and kill Brooklyn man after mistaking a metal pile for a gun". The Washington Post, 5 April 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/33367?t=10&akid=10530%2E1942551%2EGOt-Uu

2. "NYPD Officers Kill Mentally Challenged Black Man They Say Aimed a Metal Pipe at Them Like a Gun". The Root, 4 April 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/33369?t=12&akid=10530%2E1942551%2EGOt-Uu

3. "New York City police shoot and kill unarmed black man, mistaking a silver pipe for a gun". Vox, 5 April 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/33370?t=14&akid=10530%2E1942551%2EGOt-Uu

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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.