U.S : Betty SHELBY killed a Black man, considers herself the real victim, and is now getting paid to teach other cops to do the same.

Deputy Betty Shelby killed Terence Crutcher and should not be certified to train police. 

Tell Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement and Training that Shelby's course enables anti-Black violence.

04/09/2018.

Dear friend, 

The officer who shot and killed Terence Crutcher is leading certified trainings for law enforcement--and it has to stop. Last week, former Tulsa Police Officer Betty Jo Shelby led a training for cops on how to cope after a so-called “critical incident.”¹ Shelby claims to have gained skills on how to “survive” financially, legally, physically, and emotionally.² What exactly is she qualified to teach and why should attendees receive continuing education credit ? We need police to stop killing our communities, not to be taught how to navigate around attempts at holding them accountable. And most importantly, there should be a social and financial cost for killing Black people.

Betty Shelby’s course enables violence against Black people and must be cancelled.

Just a little over a year after she was acquitted of all wrongdoing in killing Terence Crutcher, Shelby is being glorified for her violence and uplifted as a teacher. This course has already been offered multiple times. We have to stop it. Here’s how : in order for cops to receive credit for this course, it has to be certified by the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement and Training (CLEET). If we can convince the council that Betty Shelby is not qualified to teach this course, they can remove her certification and she will no longer be able to spread her nonsense.

We are calling on the CLEET to de-certify her course so that she is not able to spread anti-Black propaganda. The jury who acquitted her for manslaughter was explicit in questioning her judgement as a police officer and all jurors determined she should never be a patrol officer again.³ The police chief took her off the streets and she was placed on administrative duty.⁴ She resigned because she didn’t want to be a “paper pusher.”⁵ This is not someone who should be considered qualified to teach anything.

CLEET must #BanBetty from training any more police.

Shelby’s training is entitled “Surviving the Aftermath of a Critical Incident.”⁶ Shelby has publically spoken about the long-debunked “Ferguson Effect”-- the idea that communities calling for accountability after incidences of police brutality has deterred cops from enforcing the law and therefore led to an increase in violent crime.⁷ The “Ferguson Effect” is a bold anti-Black lie and not the kind of training that any police officers anywhere should receive.⁸ Additionally, she has repeatedly referred to herself as a victim and vilified Terence's family and community members who are still waiting on justice.⁹ Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, Terence’s sister, and Tulsa-based community groups protested the decision to bring Shelby back into the community where she has caused so much harm.¹⁰ Dr. Crutcher said this week, “She never reached out to us to apologize.”¹¹ In a country where police officers are rarely held accountable for murdering people and are even financially rewarded with crowdfunding or back pay, this represents a huge step in the wrong direction.

Often when communities push for police accountability for actual harm or violence committed, law enforcement institutions try to frame the issue as a lack of training.¹² Police departments request funds for trainings to expand their budget lines and this is the kind of nonsense they come up with : a training for cops to escape accountability when they kill us. Of course, police trainings never have been and never will be the key to Black liberation. Especially when they are designed to reinforce the toxic culture of violence already present in policing. But, by shutting down Betty Shelby's training we can fight back against the spread of her self-victimizing ideology.

Sign the petition.

Until justice is real, 

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

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References :

1. "Betty Shelby, the Oklahoma Cop Who Killed Terence Crutcher, to Teach Class on 'Surviving the Aftermath' of Police Shootings." The Root, 28 August 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88775?t=9&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
2.  "Rogers County Sheriff's Deputy Betty Shelby responds to protests." KTUL, 27 August 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88776?t=11&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
3. "Read the public letter jurors wrote after acquitting the Tulsa officer who killed Terence Crutcher." Business Insider, 23 May 2017. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88769?t=13&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
4. "Officer Betty Shelby to get nearly $36,000 in back pay as she moves to administrative duty." Tulsa World, 24 May 2017. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88770?t=15&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
5. "Tulsa officer Betty Shelby tired of ‘pushing paper,’ resigns." KSWO, 14 July 2017. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/88771?t=17&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
6. "An officer who killed an unarmed black man is teaching other cops how to deal with the aftermath." Vox, 28 August 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88772?t=19&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
7. "Betty Shelby talks about starting over one year after her acquittal." KTUL, 16 May 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88773?t=21&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
8. "Deconstructing the ‘Ferguson Effect’." New York Times, 29 March 2017.  https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88774?t=23&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
9. "'I am where I belong': A year after acquittal in manslaughter case, Betty Shelby says she's found acceptance as Rogers County deputy." Tulsa World, 16 May 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88767?t=25&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
10. "'The situation is very ugly': Protest targets Betty Shelby's teaching law enforcement training class." Tulsa World, 27 August 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88768?t=27&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
11. "Betty Shelby speaks out after protest of 'healing' with Crutcher family, who responds 'she never apologized.' Tulsa World, 29 August 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88765?t=29&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6
12. "In push to reform police work, officers examine their own biases." Washington Post, 6 January 2016. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/88766?t=31&akid=17571%2E1942551%2EqX8mZ6

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