July 12, Tirhas Tesfatsion was pulled over & arrested by Lynnwood,WA police. 36 hours later, she was dead. Video surveillance shows Tirhas exhibiting signs of distress & asking for help, repeatedly. The 5 officers on duty ignored Tirhas for 3 hours. #JusticeForTirhas #sayhername
We honor Tirhas’ life by continuously fighting to end police brutality against Black women, girls, trans and GNC folks!
Please sign the petition to reopen the case and demand accountability.
Petition · Justice for Tirhas Berhane Tesfatsion · Change.org
mayor lightfoot: fire the officers who abused Anjanette!
from our network member, color of change
"Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ran on the promise that she would reform the city’s notoriously racist Police Department but, her lawyers fought in court trying to cover for police officers who used an incorrect no-knock search warrant to brutalize an innocent Black woman. Armed with a warrant granted on faulty information, at least nine Chicago police officers barged into the apartment of social worker Anjanette Young on February 21, 2019. Within seconds of busting open her door, officers handcuffed her, naked, and did not allow her to get dressed for nearly half an hour. Ms. Young told the officers 43 times that they were in the wrong place and that they had the wrong person.
Instead of pushing for transparency and accountability, Mayor Lightfoot’s legal team asked for a judge to punish Ms. Young — accusing her of leaking the video of the search. Mayor Lightfoot seems to care more about keeping information hidden than she does about disciplining the people responsible for Ms. Young’s abuse. Demand that Mayor Lightfoot fire the people responsible for this baseless warrant and launch an investigation into the city’s use of no-knock warrants."
sign the petition
Click here to sign the petition
Here is the Petition:
Dear Mayor Lightfoot
I am disturbed by the video of police breaking into the home of Anjanette Young on February 21, 2019. I am even more troubled by your administration's attempts to block the release of the video and to punish the woman subjected to this abuse.
Nearly two years after Ms. Young was forced to stand naked in her own home while at least nine police officers executed a baseless no-knock warrant, the Police Department still won’t say if the officer who requested this unfounded warrant has faced consequences for their actions. Furthermore, the Chicago Police Department will not share if the people responsible for the assault on Ms. Young have been punished.
You have a responsibility to Anjanette Young, and all Chicago residents, to fire those responsible for what happened on February 21, 2019 and to launch an investigation into the city’s use of no-knock warrants so that this never happens again.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
We demand justice and accountability fort the 9 year old girl attacked by the Rochester PD!
Click to join us in signing the petition!
Here is the Petition:
Dear Mayor Lovely Warren & Police Chief Cynthia Harriot-Sullivan:
I’m standing in solidarity with the families traumatized by Rochester police officers, the Black community in Rochester, and Color of Change to demand justice for the 9-year-old girl who was handcuffed and pepper-sprayed by officers on Friday, January 29th. The criminalization of Black children and the irresponsible use of state-sanctioned violence on our communities will not be tolerated.
We demand justice,
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Release the names of the officers involved
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Terminate all officers who responded to the scene
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Ban the use of chemical weapons by RPD: prohibit the use of CS gas (tear gas), PepperBalls, and any chemical weapon that threatens the health and safety of community members
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If police officers are protected by anonymity, internal investigations, and paid administrative leave they will continue to harm Black people with impunity.
We demand that the Rochester Police Department is held accountable publicly. Your community demands immediate changes and we won't stop fighting until you move towards our collective vision of safety and dignity.
Sincerely
[Your Name]
From our network partners color of change
"On Friday, January 29, several officers from the Rochester police department responded to a family disagreement. Instead of resolving the dispute, the responding officers quickly escalated the situation and it ended with police hand-cuffing and pepper-spraying a nine-year-old girl.
Here’s what we know:
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Three RPD officers pepper-sprayed a child. The child’s mother, Elba Pope, called the police for a domestic dispute. When the police arrived, Pope’s daughter was experiencing a mental health emergency. Bodycam footage shows officers tackling the nine-year-old to the ground before placing her in handcuffs and later pepper-spraying her in the back of the squad car.
The situation called for trauma-informed care, not state-sanctioned violence. The bodycam footage reveals a pattern of historically anti-Black racism within the Rochester Police Department. Last year, Daniel Prude, a Black man experiencing a mental health emergency was murdered by RPD, which we only discovered months later because his family demanded the footage be released. RPD has a long history of violent racism, police brutality, and attempted cover-ups. In a very similar situation — a family member calling for help — officers responded with excessive force instead of community care.
The implication that a Black child should have the capacity to respond calmly while being handcuffed, pepper-sprayed, and berated by a gang of police officers is unacceptable. It’s infuriating that multiple police officers (grown men and women) would brutally attack a child.
We stand in solidarity with the families traumatized by the Rochester police department, and the Black community in Rochester as they demand justice after the violent assault of a 9-year-old child experiencing a mental health crisis. Every officer involved is guilty of prioritizing violence before community care.
We demand justice,
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Release the names of the officers involved
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Terminate all officers who responded to the scene
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Ban the use of chemical weapons by RPD: prohibit the use of CS gas (tear gas), PepperBalls, and any chemical weapon that threatens the health and safety of community members
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Add your name to the petition demand justice now!
We stand in solidarity with our network partner
in demanding justice and accountability for the abuse of power and violence against the Black girl that was knocked unconscious and handcuffed while she laid motionless by
Osceola County Sheriff's Office
Deputy Fournier. #FireFournier
