New Orleans: Jace Scott family disrupts Criminal Justice Committee meeting to demand justice
New Orleans, LA – On March 5, activists disrupted the New Orleans Criminal Justice Committee meeting to demand New Orleans Police Officer Victor Gant be fired and charged for his role in the coverup of Jace Lee Scott’s murder. Scott was shot and killed by Gant's son, Andrew Gant, in 2019.
Before the meeting, Jace’s mother Shanta Scott and activists from the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and other organizations rallied outside of city hall. Signs read “Justice for Jace Lee Scott,” “Fire NOPD Officer Victor Gant” and “Federal charges for killer Andrew Gant.”
“We are out here today to pack the CJC meeting to demand justice for Jace and justice for all victims of NOPD violence and negligence,” said activist Toni Jones of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Jace Lee Scott was killed on November 24, 2019 by Andrew Gant, who was convicted of “negligent homicide,” thus avoiding a murder charge and prison time. Judge Nandi Campbell awarded Gant with a five-year deferred sentence after his defense argued that Jace was killed while the two were “play fighting.” No physical evidence supported this claim. Shanta Scott has said that Victor Gant's son only avoided prison time due to the actions of his father, who behaved outside of NOPD protocol when he found out about the killing.
Danyelle Christmas, representing the New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, spoke to the double standards afforded to NOPD officers stating, “Laws were broken, yet somehow this officer is still allowed to work in city hall and his son is walking free.”
Shanta Scott also made her feelings clear, stating, “I have no trust in the New Orleans Police Department. I have no trust in the system. The whole system is guilty as hell.”
The protest then moved inside to public comment, where Shanta Scott spoke defiantly about Gant's crimes and her demands for justice. In response, city council members complained that Scott spoke longer than the allowed two-minute public comment window and stopped the meeting. The committee members then left the city council chambers and had New Orleans Police Department officers forcibly remove Scott and supporting activists from the chambers.
As Shanta Scott was forced out of the chambers, she continued speaking out against Officer Victor Gant. “He's covering up for murder!” Scott declared. Outside the chambers, she demanded action from the council shouting, “We want an independent investigation! We want CPAC! No more police policing police!”
Shanta and New Orleans Alliance members have stated that they plan to come back into the council chambers to demand justice for Jace on March 30 at 9 a.m.