Last August, police officers in Aurora, Colorado, approached 23-year old Elijah McClain as he was walking home from a convenient store.
According to Aurora PD--A 911 caller reported Elijah as a "suspicious person" because of his ski-mask. (he would occasionally wear a ski-mask due to his anemia which caused him to get cold frequently)
When police confronted McClain--who was unarmed and hadn't committed any crime-- he reportedly "resisted arrest".
Photo Credit: NBC News
In the 15 minutes that followed, officers tackled Elijah to the ground, put him into a choke-hold, and called paramedics who injected him with ketamine, causing him to have a heart attack on his way to the hospital. A few days later, Elijah was declared brain dead and passed away.
Despite having the body-camera footage of Elijah's arrest, the officers were never charged or convicted and the autopsy was deemed inconclusive.
It's been nearly a year and Elijah's family has yet to receive justice. Due to the recent widespread protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd--Elijah's case has resurfaced and people are demanding that his killers be condemned for their crime.
Social media has played a huge role in spreading awareness and reopening many police brutality cases like Elijah's.
Here are pages you can donate to/sign in order to enact change:
https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/support-us -Color of Change
https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-elijah-mcclain-to-reopen-the-elijah-mcclain-of-aurora-case?source_location=petitions_browse - Change dot org
https://www.change.org/p/adams-county-district-attorney-justice-for-elijah-mcclain-48a81830-f891-4b04-ba28-c2625b916b96 - Change dot org
Comments