Washington, D.C. – On the evening of Tuesday, October 6, over 100 community members, organizers, as well as friends and family of Tawfiq Abdul Haqq, who had recently changed his name from Bernard Gibson III, gathered outside the Branch Avenue Metro Station to demand that Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown arrest and charge Corbin Davis, the Prince George’s County cop who murdered Haqq.

Bernard Gibson Jr., Haqq’s father, spoke on behalf of the family. “I thank everyone for coming out because we have to show solidarity, and we have to support these things, because if not, they are gonna do what they do. We have to find a way to change the whole system!”

On August 21, Officer Davis followed Haqq’s car into a cul-de-sac for an unknown reason. Within minutes, Davis shot four bullets into the car, killing Haqq. “He was driving his car in a cul-de-sac where he had a home,” said attorney Billy Murphy Jr., who is representing the family. “The police thought he was a criminal suspect, and the police officer who shot him ran up to his car and fired four shots through the driver's side window!”

While initial reports stated that Davis feared for his life because Haqq was trying to hit him with his car, recently released body camera footage shows Haqq attempting to drive around Davis slowly and carefully, before Davis fires directly into the driver’s side window. Two minutes passed before any attempt was made to administer medical aid to Haqq.

Haqq’s murder bears chilling similarities to the murders of Renee Good in Minneapolis and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, and the attempted murders of Phillip Brown and Justin Nelson in Washington, D.C. In each case, law enforcement falsely claimed the victim’s vehicle was being used as a weapon, to justify the use of deadly force.

Civil rights attorney E. Paige White, representing the family of Phillip Brown, spoke to the crowd at Tuesday’s rally. “A Homeland Security Investigations officer took out his gun and fired four shots into the driver-side window of Mr. Brown’s car. A bullet went through the collar of his jacket and nearly killed him.”

He continued, “My client could have been Tawfiq. Every single one of us standing in this audience right now could have been Tawfiq. The boys in blue are here for themselves, and they see every single one of us as a danger and threat. What do we do when we are constantly being treated as dangers and threats? We get organized.”

Haqq was a father of two children, a rapper, lyricist and entrepreneur who was deeply beloved by his family and community and brought joy to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. His funeral was attended by over 500 people. Yesterday’s action began with several of Haqq’s songs before chants of “We want justice, you say how! Justice for Tawfiq right now!” and “Hey hey! Ho ho! Corbin Davis got to go!” rang out across the metro station.

“We believe that the people who suffer at the hands of the police must have the power to hold the police accountable!” said DC Alliance member Merawi Gerima. “In order to get justice for our loved ones, we have to do it together. From DC to Maryland to Virginia. I live in DC, but I’m here in Prince George’s County with ya’ll right now because I believe in justice.”

The attendees of the rally committed to continue building pressure on Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, who has the power to hold the officer accountable. He is currently investigating the case, but history shows that Maryland, and especially Prince George’s County, do not have a strong record of holding killer cops accountable. None of the six officers who murdered Freddie Gray in 2015 were convicted, and five of them still work for the Baltimore Police Department.

Despite that history, Haqq’s family remained committed to holding Davis accountable. “Tawfiq was loved,” said one family member after the rally ended, “and as you can see, he has a huge family and community. So we gonna keep it going for him till we get justice.”

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