Memphis Grassroots Organizations Coalition Statement

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 6:55 am by Andre E. Johnson

Memphis Grassroots Organizations Coalition Statement 2015-08-14T06:55:15-05:00 Andre E. Johnson

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R3 has been following the events surrounding the death of Darrius Stewart; a 19 year old African American shot and killed by Memphis police officer Conner Schilling on July 17, 2015. Two weeks later on August 1, 2015, alleged gunman Tremaine Wilburn, shot and killed police officer Sean Bolton. Both deaths happened while officers performed random traffic stops. Below is a statement from a coalition of grass root activists in response to the deaths of both Darrius Stewart and Officer Sean Bolton.

Over the past few weeks, several citizens, civic organizations, ministers and other interested parties have joined together in peaceful resistance against the injustice and despair that plague the black community both internally and externally. We join together to affirm the work being done across the city and nation. We solicit every willing worker of goodwill to join in dismantling the various forms of oppression and injustice among us through every adequate and effective form and method of resistance. This is a peculiar moment in the life of our country as well as our beloved city of Memphis. We mourn with our city in the loss of the life of Officer Sean Bolton and continue to fight for justice for the family of Darrius Stewart.

The undersigned stand as a grassroots coalition and collective in affirmation of all efforts to bring truth, justice, peace and love to our city. We recognize the need to produce a concerted effort in response to the State of Emergency whereby we find ourselves. The catastrophic loss and continual devaluing of black lives has stoked the fire of the #BlackLivesMatter movement nationwide. This national and local movement is a banner and philosophy under which many grassroots groups and sacred communities stand in solidarity. It is in this vein of unity and hope for better tomorrows that we petition our people, our institutions, and our organizations of goodwill to continue to work towards the freedom and liberty of all seemingly disenfranchised and marginalized people. Those who are familiar with the BLM movement know that the movement never seeks to merely switch the source of oppression from one group to the next. The spirit of the movement itself seeks to dismantle, disrupt and destroy every form of oppression and centers on the experiences of the most underprivileged.

In the words of Dr. King, we know that “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We denounce the shooting and death of Officer Sean Bolton. We stand in full support of the MPD and other parties that seek to obtain justice for the slain officer and his family. Simultaneously, we must continue to focus on the shooting and murder of Darrius Stewart on July 17, 2015. We must remain diligent in and sensitive to the work necessary to bring justice and peace, healing and wholeness to ALL those who are suffering.

We seek an update to the general public on the developments on the investigation into the shooting of Darrius Stewart by Officer Conner Schilling. Within the past two weeks, with the support of the family, friends, social activist groups and ministerial leaders who have held several vigils, rallies, worship services and other events to raise the social consciousness of the city with respect to this particular incident as well as the issues of police brutality and violence in general. We all remain committed to resisting every form of oppression, exploitation and manipulation that continues to heighten the tensions between civilians, law enforcement and civic and political leadership. This is not the time to politicize tragedies. It is the time to respond to them with compassion and commitment to truth, love and justice.

Therefore, in the name of trust, transparency and progress, we request that the TBI, MPD, and/or DA Amy Weirich provide the general public with relevant, uncompromising, and up to date information with respect to both the shooting of Officer Bolton and the shooting of Darrius Stewart, at least once per week via written statements and/or press conferences until an indictment is handed down or the investigation reaches its legal conclusion. We have already begun to witness the intensity by which MPD and others are pursuing justice in the shooting of Officer Bolton. Equal force should be applied in pursuing justice in the shooting of Darrius Stewart.

To be clear, our aim is not personal but corporate. Our focus in not merely on an instance or two, but, moreover, towards the broader and longstanding epidemics of police brutality, the culture of violence in our country and the wanton use of guns as weapons of mass destruction. Therefore, with respect to law enforcement, we also request that the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board be reestablished immediately and authorized by our city administration to review each use of lethal force since its disbanding (including the Darrius Stewart shooting). We expect nothing less than equitable measure to be taken in the name of justice for all parties involved.

We are not anti-police. We are anti-injustice. Again, let us reiterate that it is the collective work of all of our social, civic and ministerial organizations that obtain and sustain freedom, justice, and equal protections under the law. Therefore, we applaud the work of resistance that leads to liberation being carried out by all those who are fighting for freedom and ask them to continue to do so they work to which they are called and compelled. In the words of Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon (in honor of Dr. Ella Baker), “We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.” We have been and will continue to do the work of social justice in this city until freedom comes…for everybody.

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