Say Their Names: 101 Black Unarmed Women, Men and Children Killed By Law Enforcement

1

Carlos Alcis

Name: Carlos Alcis

Age at Death: 43 years old

Date of Death: August 15, 2013

City, State: Brooklyn, New York

How Killed: Heart Attack From Mistaken Police Raid - No Lifesaving Measures Given

Officers Involved: New York Police Department - 69th Precinct

Possible Mental Illness: No

Altercation Details: In the early morning of August 15, 2013 around 5:30 a. m., forty-three-year old father of eight, Carlos Alcis, died of an apparent heart attack after NYPD stormed into his home while the family was sleeping.

Alcis was born in Haiti and came to the United States in 2000. He found employment in Brooklyn working for Bobby's Department Store and was known as an extremely hard worker.

A woman was reportedly robbed, punched, and had her cellphone stolen. Witness to this incident led officers to the apartment complex where Alcis and his family lived at 5 a. m.

Police alleged that they knocked on the door, asking the family for cooperation and to allow them to search. Another family that lived in the complex told a different story.

Witnesses stated that police barged into the home (after prying the lock open) with flashlights looking for Alcis' teenage son, Emmanuel.

Officers brought Emmanuel outside to be identified by a woman. That witness confirmed that Emmanuel was not the perpetrator. "It's not him," she stated.

At the same time, Alcis dropped to the floor and began shaking violently with blood running down the side of his mouth… he was having a heart attack.

Officers continued to search the home while Carlos Alcis was in an apparent medical distress. For thirty minutes, they searched under beds and in piles of clothing despite the victim stating that Emmanuel was not the perpetrator.

Later, police checked Alcis' pulse and an ambulance was called at 6:06 am. However, it did not arrive until 6:29 am because they were given the wrong address. While waiting, officers asked the son to blow into his father's mouth while they performed chest compressions.

Alcis died before the ambulance arrived.

Alcis' brother, Stevenson, stated,

They scared him to death. He was healthy and fine.

The stolen iPhone was later discovered in front of a nearby building where they apprehended the sixteen-year-old suspect after using the victim's "Find My Phone" app.

Arrest or Conviction of Officers: No criminal charges were filed against any officers involved. No arrest or convictions were made.

2

Wendell Allen

Name: Wendell Allen

Age at Death: 20 years old

Date of Death: March 7, 2012

City, State: New Orleans, Louisiana

How Killed: Gunshot Wound

Officers Involved: Officer Joshua Colclough

Possible Mental Illness: No

Altercation Details: The New Orleans Police Department received a tip from an informant that drugs were being sold at the Allen residence.

Authorities said they allegedly witnessed multiple exchanges assumed to be drug deals, which led them to raid the home.

Officers beat down the door, startling Allen’s four siblings, and also causing him to wake up from an upstairs room. He ran to the stairwell to see what was happening when he heard the commotion, cursing, crying, and screams. Officer Joshua Colclough shot him in the chest while he stood at the top of the stairs. Allen was killed instantly as the bullet traveled through his thorax and multiple organs before settling in his back. Allen was shirtless and unarmed.

Allen was a former high school star basketball player attending Navarro college in Texas but had recently returned home to be with his family. He found work with Richard's Disposal, and by all accounts was happy with the recent changes in his life.

The police located around 4.5 ounces of marijuana; a personal stash for a sibling, David Allen. He was charged with simple possession. No other narcotics were found.

Arrest or Conviction of Officers: Colclough plead guilty and was convicted on manslaughter charges. He was sentenced to four years in prison. Colclough resigned from the force the day before sentencing and apologized to the Allen family for what he had done before being led off to prison.

This was the second time he apologized to the family. The day before sentencing, he met with the Allen family, saying,

I wanted to tell you for a very long time how sorry I am. I am so very sorry.

Allen's mother Natasha responded through tears, "I prayed for you. I prayed God [would] have mercy on your soul, but what took you so long?"

Colclough replied,

I am so sorry it took so long. I’m very sorry for what I’ve put your family through.

3

Tanisha Anderson

Name: Tanisha Anderson

Age at Death: 37 years old

Date of Death: November 12, 2014

City, State: Cleveland, Ohio

How Killed: Sudden Death Due to Physical Restraint

Officers Involved: Officers Scott Aldridge and Brian Meyers

Possible Mental Illness: Yes - Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

Altercation Details: On evening of November 13, 2014, family members of Tanisha Anderson, specifically her brother Joell Anderson, called the police after she began to experience a mental health episode or as they called it one of her bad days. Anderson had attempted to leave the home wearing her nightgown.

Anderson was the mother of a sixteen-year-old daughter.

Two sets of officers came and were able to get Anderson calm for the time being. A second call was made, placing Detective Scott Aldridge and Brian Meyers at the scene as the responding officers.

While walking Anderson to the patrol car to take her to the hospital, detectives asked the family members to remain in the home. Anderson sat in the back but became very agitated and tried to exit the vehicle.

Many details following Anderson’s exit from the home are widely disputed; however, some facts remain consistent across the board. After verbal commands failed to regain control of Anderson, the situation escalated, physically, causing her to be taken out of the vehicle, held on the ground in a prone position, cuffed behind her back with their knees keeping her head down. This position caused severe respiratory problems ultimately leading to her death.

Police stated that while they were escorting Anderson to the patrol car, she "suddenly went limp. Family members tell a different story and say that an officer performed a takedown move," a wrestling technique, with his knee in her back as she lay on the ground. A Taser® was withdrawn from its holster by Aldridge, however, it is unclear whether he used it or not.

Reports have stated that Anderson was on the icy cold ground for approximately fourteen minutes before officers called for an ambulance. Family members were ordered not to touch or aid Anderson during this time.

According to a report written by Lou Reiter, a retired deputy chief,

The indifference was so bad that the officers actually told a member of Anderson's family that because she was a woman, they couldn't give her medical treatment until a supervisor arrived, even though she was unresponsive and lying on her stomach with her hands behind her back.

Both officers did not call for a supervisor until thirty minutes from their arrival time. That supervisor, Sergeant Rochelle Bottone, took eleven minutes to arrive on the scene. She immediately called for an ambulance one minute later.

Her last words were, "Mommy, help me," before reciting the Lord's Prayer. Anderson had a slight pulse when taken to the hospital, however died in route to the Cleveland Clinic.

Reiter's report also stated that the amount of force used on Anderson was, "contrary to generally accepted police practices and the use of force and delays by Officers Aldridge and Myers were unreasonable and appeared to be conscious choices both officers made."

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide as a result of "sudden death associated with physical restraint in a prone position by legal intervention." However, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John Russo barred the medical examiner from testifying during the investigation or in any subsequent trial. The first page of the autopsy report findings were also ruled inadmissible. (The first page of the report listed the death as a homicide).

Arrest or Conviction of Officer: The medical examiner's full report and testimony are considered key components to an investigation into criminal behavior. The district attorney's office needed manner of death to move forward with the case. Without it, they were hamstringed.

In 2016, another autopsy was demanded, and this time they changed the manner of death from, "homicide to a cardiac event."

The case was passed around from agency to agency, a political hot potato that no one wanted to take on. This led to an extreme delay of any movement.

In 2018, the grand jury declined to charge the officers in the murder of Tanisha Anderson.

Both of the officers were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing but were "disciplined." Aldridge was suspended for ten days, and Meyers received a written warning.

Anderson's death was, however, used for a policy overhaul within the Cleveland Police. The Justice Department's Consent Decree used Anderson's case as an example for how officers were not properly trained to deal with citizens with mental health issues. Cleveland police are now required to have crises intervention training, which requires de-escalation and/or the calling in of specialized officers to handle these types of situations.

Family press conference video:

https://youtu.be/WGfcaDYRjfY

4

Ahmaud Marquez Arbery

Name: Ahmaud Marquez Arbery

Age at Death: 25 years old

Date of Death: February 23, 2020

City, State: Brunswick, Georgia

How Killed: Gunshot Wounds

Officers Involved: Gregory McMichael (Former Police Detective)

Possible Mental Illness: No

Altercation Details: In the afternoon of Sunday, February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was seen jogging in the predominantly white Satilla Shores neighborhood of Brunswick, Georgia.

Arbery was known as "Maud and Quez" by family and friends. He was a star football player while in high school. After graduation, he attended South Georgia Technical College to train as an electrician.

He was spotted by former Glynn County policer officer and former investigator, Gregory McMichael, who claimed Arbery could have been a suspect in recent break-ins throughout the area.

Surveillance footage from a home (not owned by the McMichael) in the beginning stages of construction shows Arbery, who was jogging, stop and walk inside the home, looking around in curiosity. He then exits the construction site to the back of the property where there was a known water source before proceeding on with his jog. Arbery did not remove anything from the site.

Surveillance footage from that day also shows an older white couple walking inside to view the construction as well as young white children walking around.

Gregory McMichael, in a previous interview, stated that he did not actually see Arbery inside the construction site. The owner of the home under construction also stated that McMichael was not asked to patrol or watch over his property and was distressed to hear of what had happened.

However, after spotting Arbery jogging down the street, Gregory McMichael called to his son, Travis McMichael. They grabbed their .357 magnum revolver and shotgun, got into their truck, and proceeded to chase Arbery.

An accomplice, William Bryan, followed behind, joining the chase while recording the incident. Bryan also blocked Arbery's options for escape.

The father and son pair cut an unarmed Arbery off with their truck. Arbery ran around the truck to escape when Travis McMichael exited the truck with his shotgun. Video footage then shows, "the two men fighting over the shotgun," with Arbery being forced to confront the gunman once his exit was blocked.

Travis fired a shot, followed by a second blast, then a third, striking Arbery in the upper chest, lower middle chest, and a deep, gaping wound to the right wrist.

Many have called this a modern-day lynching.

Bryan recorded the fatal shooting and made a statement that Travis McMichael said, "fucking nigger" while standing over Arbery's body.

Because of Gregory McMichael's history with law enforcement, neither he nor his son were charged or even arrested until May 7, 2020; just two days after Bryan had his attorney post the video of the murder on YouTube, assuming it would clear him of any wrongdoing.

During the initial investigation where the McMichael's were found to be within their rights to shoot Arbery, police bodycam footage show a Confederate flag sticker on a toolbox inside the McMichael's truck.

Travis McMichael's social media accounts also shed light on his racial attitudes, stating he loved his job because there, "weren't any niggers anywhere; that things would be better if someone, blown that nigger’s head off."

During the probable cause hearing, GBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Dial testified that it had been an elaborate chase and that the McMichael actually hit Arbery with the truck as he tried to evade them.

Dial continued,

I believe Mr. Arbery was being pursued, and he ran till he couldn't run anymore, and it was turn his back to a man with a shotgun or fight with his bare hands against the man with the shotgun. He chose to fight. I believe Mr. Arbery's decision was to just try to get away, and when he felt like he could not escape he chose to fight.

Arrest or Conviction of Officers: During the initial investigation, all three men were found to be within their legal right to shoot Arbery. In fact, in a memo, District Attorney George E. Barnhill, "attacked the Arbery family, defended his own reputation and justified the lynching," according to attorney Exavier Pope.

Georgia's state representative, Scott Holcomb called the Barnhill memo, "pathetic. He also stated, I’m a former prosecutor and I don’t say this lightly: this reads like he’s a defense attorney for the men who shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery. It’s a pathetic excuse for a legal memo."

See the legal memo here: https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/6916-george-barnhill-letter-to-glyn/b52fa09cdc974b970b79/optimized/full.pdf#page=1

Gregory and Travis McMichael have been charged with malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. Bryan has been charged with felony murder.

The McMichael's attorneys have stated that their clients fired in self-defense and that Arbery was the aggressor, (although as video footage captured, Arbery was clearly being hunted/chased by the armed McMichael).

Their defense has also brought up the fact that Arbery was once diagnosed with a mental illness that caused hallucinations. However, Arbery was treated for that illness and had not suffered from it in years.

The case is ongoing.

As a side note: The New York Times has subsequently reported that the Glynn County police department in prior years … ( https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/08/us/glynn-county-police-ahmaud-arbery.html )

. . . have been accused of covering up allegations of misconduct, tampering with a crime scene, interfering in an investigation of a police shooting and retaliating against fellow officers who cooperated with outside investigators.

5

Jordan Baker

Name: Jordan Baker

Age at Death: 26 years old

Date of Death: January 16, 2014

City, State: Houston, Texas

How Killed: Gunshot wound

Officers Involved: Off-duty Officer Juventino Castro

Possible Mental Illness: No

Altercation Details: Ten-year police veteran Juventino Castro was working his second job as a security guard for a strip mall in northwest Houston when he shot and killed Jordan Baker on January 16, 2014.

Baker was a young father, son, and grandson. He was also a graduate of Houston Community College.

Wearing a black hoodie, Baker rode his bike through the parking lot of the strip mall when he was spotted by Castro, who was sitting in his car. (There had been recent break-ins at the mall, so Castro assumed/profiled Baker as a suspect).

The city attorneys and Baker’s family lawyer have conflicting stories about what happened next. It was reported, however, that Castro asked Baker for his ID. Allegedly, Baker left his bike and ran behind the mall, into an alley where Castro confronted him.

Castro claimed that Baker turned and ran toward him, at which point he pulled out his service revolver and shot him.

City attorneys also alleged that in Castro’s attempt to "talk" to him, Baker became belligerent and reached for his waist, signaling Castro to label him a threat and shoot him.

Both versions of the shooting were told by law enforcement.

No weapon was found on Baker's person. Baker's mother, Janet Baker, contended that Officer Castro, "wrongly profiled her son as a criminal wearing a black hoodie." She also declared that both version of events were false. She believed the police were trying to "justify the outcome of what happened."

He's a college student, working part-time. He does everything for his son. His son is his life, Janet Baker stated.

Arrest or Conviction of Officers: Prosecutors presented the case to Harris County’s grand jury and cited that Castro "claimed Baker was slowly riding his bike through the parking look and peering into store windows, possibly casing the stores."

However, video footage obtained from a nearby Aio Wireless store shows Baker ride through the parking lot on his bike, not even close to the stores. Baker's speed is such that he could not have "peered" into any store.

The grand jury decided not to indict Castro on any charges. No arrest or conviction occurred.

6

Sean Bell

Name: Sean Bell

Age at Death: 23 years old

Date of Death: November 25, 2006

City, State: Jamaica, New York

How Killed: Gunshot Wounds

Officers Involved: Officers Gescard Isnora, Michael Carey, Marc Cooper, Michael Oliver, Gary Napoli, Paul Headley

Possible Mental Illness: No

Altercation Details: On the evening of November 25, 2006, Sean Bell and his two friends, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, were attending his bachelor party at Club Kalua in Queens, a strip club. It was the night before his wedding.

Bell played baseball in high school and logged some impressive stats. He was also interested in acting and studied in Flushings, Queens. Although Bell was not employed full-time at the time of his death, he worked odd jobs and was studying to be an electrician to support his new born daughter, Jada, with his fiancé, Nicole Paultre.

Plain-clothed officers were present, as allegedly the club owner was accused of "fostering prostitution."

Officer Gescard Isnora reported that Guzman got into an argument with another patron inside the club and yelled, "yo, get my gun or go get my gun."

Officer Gescard Isnora followed the men to their car as they got in and were driving away. Isnora then alleged that he informed the group that he was an officer and ordered them to stop the vehicle and get out.

Police reported that Bell, who was behind the wheel, drove off and grazed Isnora's leg in the process before hitting a parked, unmarked police vehicle.

Isnora again alleged that he suspected one of them to be reaching for a gun. He fired the first shots into the car and five other officers joined in. Over 50 shots found their way inside the vehicle with Bell hit a multitude of times.

Guzman and Benefield were severely injured, and Bell died en route to the hospital.

Witnesses accounts differ from official reports and state that plainclothes Isnora did not identify himself as an officer. They also said that no warning was given before all officers opened fire.

When no weapons were found in the vehicle, Isnora later stated that a fourth man was in the car but ran away and that person must have taken the weapon.

Witnesses state that there was no fourth man in the vehicle who escaped.

Arrest or Conviction of Officers: Officers Isnora and Oliver were charged with first-and second-degree manslaughter, second-degree careless endangerment, and first-and-second degree assault. Cooper was charged with two counts of reckless endangerment.

All of the officers were acquitted of all criminal charges. Because of being the first to shoot, firing eleven rounds and starting the chain of events which led to the barrage of bullets, Isnora was fired outright without any benefits or pension.

Officer Michael Carey and Detective Paul Headley were allowed to keep their positions within the department.

Detective Marc Cooper, who fired five shots, has a 55k a year pension with a $12k annual supplement.

Lieutenant Gary Napoli was forced to retire on a $75k pension and annual $12k supplement.

Michael Oliver was fired and given his pension and supplement as well.

7

Sandra Bland

Name: Sandra Bland

Age at Death: 28 years old

Date of Death: July 13, 2015

City, State: Prairie View, Texas

How Killed: Asphyxiation By Hanging in Jail Cell

Officers Involved: Officer Brian Encinia

Possible Mental Illness: No

Altercation Details: Sandra Bland, affectionately known as "Sandy," was found hanging in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas on July 13, 2015, just three days following an arrest for a traffic stop.

Bland who was a civil rights activist and part of the Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matter, posted multiple times against police mistreatment of the black community. One post stated, In the news that we've seen as of late, you could stand there, surrender to the cops, and still be killed.

Bland completed her degree in agriculture at Prairie View A&M University.

July 9, 2015, Bland traveled to Texas for a job interview with her alma mater. She got the job as a community outreach coordinator. July 10, 2015, Bland returned to Prairie View to complete paperwork for her new position. Shortly after leaving the university, she was pulled over for allegedly changing lanes without signaling, by Officer Brian Encinia.

The exchange: Encinia asks Bland to put out her cigarette. Bland asks why as she is smoking in her own car. Encinia demands for Bland to step out of her vehicle. When Bland refuses, Encinia pronounces that she is under arrest. Bland repeatedly ask what she is under arrest for. Encinia responds, I am giving you a lawful order. Encinia opens her car door and tries to physically remove her from the car, but she refuses. He then pulls out his Taser and states, I will light you up! Get out! Now! Bland exits her vehicle at that time.

According to journalist Malcolm Gladwell,

Encinia had a history of performing pre-textual traffic stops, having issued 1,600 mostly minor tickets in less than 12 months, using the pretext of little-enforced minor infractions to then perform random searches in the hope of finding something criminal.

Encinia then forced her to the ground and arrested her. She was charged with assaulting a police officer. The events of this traffic stop were caught partially by Encinia’s bodycam, a bystander’s cell phone, and Bland’s personal cell phone.

A recorded video by the bystander showed Bland on the ground, stating she couldn’t hear and informing the officer that she was an epileptic. In this video, the officer can be heard responding with, "Good. "

In the Waller County Texas jail, on the morning of July 13, 2015, Bland refused breakfast around 6 am. An hour later, she asked to make a phone call. Although allegedly being given permission to use the phone within her cell, there is no record of a phone call being made.

Around 9 am, she is discovered by a female officer in a semi-standing position hanging from her cell with a plastic bag around her head. Her death was classified as a suicide through asphyxiation. Her family disputed this version of her death stating that she was not depressed and excited about beginning her new job.

The FBI and Texas authorities conducted an investigation and determined that proper procedures in the jail were not followed such as mental health checks, time checks, etc.

Since her death, many people, including her family, have sought an additional investigation into her death, alleging that suicide would not be something she would do.

Encinia was placed on administrative leave due to failing to follow proper traffic stop procedures.

Multiple versions of Encinia's dashcam footage were released, forcing law enforcement to publicly deny that any editing had taken place prior to their release.

In April, 2016, a five-member committee called upon by Sheriff Glenn Smith released a report stating that the jail where Bland died should be closed.

July, 2016, a jailer testified that he falsified jail logs to make it look like they checked in on Bland at scheduled intervals.

Arrest or Conviction of Officers:The FBI and Texas Rangers launched two separate inquiries into Bland's death. In December 2015, the grand jury failed to indict Encinia on any charges related to Bland's death.

Prairie View officer Michael Kelley was not able to testify during the grand jury hearing that he saw marks on Bland's forehead after her encounter with Encinia.

In January 2016, Encinia was, however, indicted for perjury for claiming he, "removed Bland from her vehicle to more safely conduct a traffic investigation."

He was later fired from the Texas Department of Public Safety. The perjury charge was dropped in exchange for Encinia agreeing to permanently end his career in law enforcement.

8

Rekia Boyd

Name: Rekia Boyd

Age at Death: 22 years old

Date of Death: March 21, 2012

City, State: Chicago, Illinois

How Killed: Gunshot Wound

Officers Involved: Dante Servin

Possible Mental Illness: No

Altercation Details: On March 21, 2012, Officer Dante Servin, a Chicago Police Department detective, was off-duty (in plain clothes) and drove his car to Douglas Park on the West side of Chicago after he called in a noise complaint to 911.

Rekia Boyd was described by her brother as someone who was always free with her smiles. He said,

Whenever she walked into a room, she would say, 'hey 'yall,' and never left without saying, 'love 'yall.'

Boyd also loved to tell jokes, and when the room was quiet, she would make it live.

Martinez Sutton went on to say that he helped raise Rekia and was hard on her because the streets were hard and he wanted to protect her. He then said that they were just becoming more friends than brother and sister with hour-long conversations.

Boyd, a former South Sider, had recently moved with her family to the suburbs in Dolton, Illinois. She was hanging out with friends, listening to music, and having a few drinks. As they walked to the liquor store, they were confronted by Servin.

Servin stopped Boyd and her friends and allegedly identified himself as a police officer before asking the group to keep the noise down.

The group was surprised to see Servin near the alley as they had already quieted down.

Servin had recently bought a home in the area as part of the "Officer Next Door" program where he received financial incentives to move in the area.

According to Angela Helton, the mother of Boyd, during a television press conference stated that Servin was known around the area where he lived. The day before the shooting, he allegedly asked some of the residents,

What do I have to do to get some peace around here? Shoot a nigger?

Servin alleged that Antonio Cross, a member of the group, "charged at the car," grabbing what he perceived to be a gun.

While still in his vehicle, Servin claimed he yelled that he was a police officer before pulling out his Glock and shooting over his left shoulder. Five shots were fired. He struck Cross's hand and the back of Rekia Boyd’s head. Rekia was approximately thirty feet away from Servin at the time. Cross says he was shot in the hand as he ducked, raising his hand to cover his face." He was trying to shoot me in the head," he stated.

They immediately arrested Cross claiming that Cross approached Servin with a gun. It was later determined that neither Cross, nor none from their party had a firearm, and, in fact, Cross was holding his cell phone.

Although State's Attorney Anita Alverez refused to charge Cross with a felony because no gun was found or used, police still decided to charge Cross with a misdemeanor battery charge.

The witnesses tell a different story. Antonio Cross, a friend of Boyd's says that Servin did not approach them asking them to keep it down but instead tried to buy drugs from them. Cross, in turn replied,

Get your Crackhead ass out of here.

Cross says that is when Servin pulled a gun, stuck it out of his window and fired at them, striking Cross and killing Boyd.

Sutton also stated that when he spoke to Servin, Servin admitted to him that he shot at the group and even stated that he got out of the car and continued to fire." He was looking for blood that night," Sutton alleged.

Before Servin's bench trial, he was interviewed by a French documentary team who had him act out his version of events. He also appeared to alter his story when doing a walk-though of the nights events with prosecutors, stating now that he only shot after he thought he was shot at.

The night before charges were to be announced against Servin, Boyd's brother, Martinez Sutton was shooting a documentary about the case in the same park his sister was killed. During a news interview, Sutton stated that Servin pulled up in the same vehicle he had shot his sister in and confronted them asking what they