Justice Against Police Violence: Advocacy Items

It is with a heavy heart that we write to you all in solidarity with our Black and Latinx community members regarding the numerous murders of Black and Brown boys and men that have occurred in the previous few weeks at the hands of the police state. 

We honor their precious lives and say their names:


Adam Toledo (13 yrs)

Travon Chadwell (18 yrs)

Anthony Alvarez (22 yrs)

Daunte Wright (20 yrs)

Roger Allen (44 yrs)

Matthew Zadok Williams (35 yrs)

These lives mattered. 


Police-sanctioned violence against communities of color is not new. Still, these murders have been extremely devastating and sources of continued collective trauma, with many of them occurring simultaneously with the ongoing trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. In fact, since the onset of Derek Chauvin’s trial on March 29, more than 3 people a day have been killed by the United States police. These cases highlight the tragic outcomes of interlocking forces of oppression, such as race, class, and disability in the case of Adam Toledo. Further, these murders have been met with many falsehoods, stating that some of these victims had weapons when they did not. They add to the continued pattern of police responding to minor violations that escalate into deadly encounters, followed by a lack of accountability from the police state, as our legal system is overly deferential to the police.


Unfortunately, these killings occurred within the context of violence against Asian communities during this global pandemic, the most recent being the 4/15/21 Indianapolis FedEx mass shooting where 4 of 8 of the victims were members of the Sikh community. Our community’s struggles may be different, but our fight for justice against White supremacy remains united. So, we write to you all today in urgency to advocate for our Black and Brown communities. The murder of Black and Brown folks is not a new occurrence – we must continue our fight for justice through grassroots action, activism, and work towards institutional change. We must advocate to reallocate funds to areas that truly address the needs of our communities and diverge funds from the police state. Most importantly, we need to move beyond raising awareness and towards action. 


Listed below are specific ways to learn more about and support each of these victims’ families and their communities:

Adam Toledo, Travon Chadwell, and Anthony Alvarez 


The murders of Adam Toledo, Travon Chadwell, and Anthony Alvarez were all at the hands of the Chicago PD. Please see the following for more information: https://www.afsc.org/blogs/news-and-commentary/anthony-alvarez-travon-chadwell-and-adam-toledo-should-be-alive-today


Listed below are local organizations focused on community justice in and around Little Village, Chicago, the neighborhood where Adam Toledo, Travon Chadwell, and Anthony Alvarez were murderkilled:


Roger Allen

Many reports related to Roger Allen’s murder are inconsistent raising suspicions surrounding the police accounts of the incident. The current DA (Stephen Wagstaffe) has an extremely questionable history related to the murders of 15 year old Derrick Gaines and Black father, Chinedu Okobi in 2018. Daly City police have refused to release the name of the officers responsible and claim that they did not have funding for body/dash cams despite receiving $333 million in funding over the last decade.


Please see https://sanmateocountynews.com/category/daly-city-mayor-juslyn-manalo/ for more details and sources on the atrocious history of those involved. Also, see the following posts for more information:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNxmHyKna_K/?igshid=11rc8u5sq47a0.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN0ZhZRr1wl/?igshid=16fhazbnnnwba

  • Action Items:
    • Call Daly City City Council representatives (https://www.dalycity.org/409/City-Council) and the DA at (650) 363-4636 and da_info@smcgov.org to advocate for the following:
      • Name and fire the police officers that were involved in the killing of Roger Allen
      • Reallocate funds from the Daly City Police Department (DCPD) to educational, health, and housing programs.
      • Prohibit the DCPD from conducting internal investigations regarding this murder, and instead, ensure that an independent party conducts an investigation to find the truth of what happened to Roger Allen.
      • Here is a script written by @4Dalycity: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNyA7EcLP4b/?igshid=1rfj3xkpz2zxz


Daunte Wright

  • Action items:
    • Support Daunte Wright’s Family
    • As of 4/16/21, the following are the needs outlined by Holistic Heaux, who are coordinating support for Daunte Wright’s son, and his mother Chyna:
      • Amazon Wishlist: Chynawhitaker.17@yahoo.com
      • Donate gift cards – Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Macy’s
      • Donate food by texting the number provided below.
      • Gift card drop off times – 11am-7pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
      • Monetary donation to support Chyna, Daunte Wright’s girlfriend, and their child, Daunte Jr:
      • Donate to Daunte’s family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dauntewright


Matthew Zadok Williams 


**Additional Important Action Items**

  • Please contact your senators and urge them to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This link through the NAACP Legal Defense Fund will allow you to quickly enter your information. 
  • There are also several informational posts and webpages on alternatives to calling the police for your reference:
National
Alternatives to Calling the Police and Police an Justice Reforms

https://www.vox.com/2021/4/14/22374196/calling-the-police-violence-alternative


On behalf of the ANA Advocacy Committee,

Sana Arastu & Vanessa Zhou