Grand Rapids, MI – On Wednesday, April 13, the Grand Rapids Police Department released four videos of Patrick Lyoya’s murder at the hands of a GRPD officer, who they still refuse to name. Lyoya, a 26-year-old Black man, was a Congolese refugee, and a father to two daughters.

The videos show perspectives from the officer’s body cam, the dashcam of the police car, mobile phone video from a passenger in Lyoya’s vehicle, and security cameras from neighborhood residents. They all corroborate the Lyoya family's account of the killing, showing Lyoya face-down on the ground with the officer holding him down, ending with the officer shooting him in the back of the head execution-style.

The video also shows the officer attacking Lyoya unprovoked after he tried to walk around to the other side of the car, it appears so that the passenger can hand him his driver's license. At another point in the video, the officer appears to have Lyoya restrained, and proceeded to kick and beat him. At no point was Lyoya ever told he was being arrested, and the traffic stop was for a simple registration issue.

Patrick's father Peter Lyoya described his son's murder at a protest and vigil the previous week: “My son was killed like an animal. The way that the police assassinated my son, he was already laying on the floor, and he had his hands behind his back. I knew that to come to America, it was going to be safe, and there is no safety here. I thought I would give them a good life. Now he is gone, I have lost him.” The Lyoya family immigrated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2014 to escape violence.

A protest demanding justice for Lyoya is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m. His family demands that the killer cop be named, arrested, convicted and sent to prison. They also want Patrick's body released to the family so they can begin funeral arrangements. Additionally, protesters and activists have demanded that GRPD be defunded and that control of the police be given to a community-led board.

#GrandRapidsMI #PoliceBrutality #PoliceCrimes #GrandRapidsPoliceDepartment

Grand Rapids, MI – A crowd of hundreds marched to the Grand Rapids City Commissioners meeting, April 12, to demand both the release of the raw video showing the murder of Patrick Lyoya and the arrest of the still-unnamed killer cop. Lyoya was a 26-year-old Congolese immigrant executed by the Grand Rapids Police Department last week. In the days after his death, citywide mourning and protests against the police have increased and are expected to surge after the release of the video this Wednesday.

The police department has continued to stall the footage, while the city insists it is acting in full transparency. Patrick’s father, Peter Lyoya, said the video shows his son murdered “execution style” on the ground. The family has said the narrative of the department, that there was a “struggle,” runs counter to the facts.

The Royal Black Panther Party of Grand Rapids organized the march to the meeting. It was attended by hundreds of community members and weaved through all the major streets of downtown. “Say his name! Patrick Lyoya!” and “You can’t stop the revolution! GRPD is not the solution!” echoed through the city.

Before the protest, barricades were erected around the police station. A few of the businesses downtown have boarded up their windows with “Patrick Lyoya” painted on the plywood.

The protesters stopped in front of City Hall and were led through chants of “I am! A revolutionary!” and “Black power!” before crowding into the building. Demonstrators were led up in groups due to capacity limits, while the rest stayed on the first floor to continue chanting and watching the livestream in an overflow room.

City Manager Mark Washington, near the beginning of the meeting, said the video will be released tomorrow at 3 p.m. during a livestream with the police chief, who will “provide context” for the images. The video provided Wednesday will be compiled from nine different sources. GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom released a statement warning the video has “graphic images resulting in the loss of life” and will be tagged with an age restriction on the city’s YouTube page.

During public comments, calls for the release of the video, the arrest of the unnamed killer cop and the resignation of the entire commissioner board were prevalent. A few speakers acknowledged their continued presence at the meetings over the past few years, and the city’s inaction in resolving the GRPD’s brutality, which has left local activists with physical injuries and mental trauma.

Commissioners were called out by name for failing to do their jobs and for their “crocodile tears” now that the attention is on them. One local woman said her husband was murdered by the GRPD, and her 12-year-old child was too traumatized to attend the meeting.

The meeting lasted well over four hours. Further protests have already been scheduled after the release of the video, including a call to action on Friday, April 15.

#GrandRapidsMI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #PatrickLyoya #GrandRapidsPoliceDepartment