Appleton, WI – Family, friends and community members gathered in downtown Appleton this weekend to demand justice for Jimmie Sanders on the sixth anniversary of his murder at the hands of the Appleton Police Department.

On May 21, 2017, Sanders was shot and killed by Officer Jay Steinke after APD was called to respond to gunfire at Jack’s Apple Pub in downtown Appleton. Upon arrival at the bar Steinke opened fire into the crowd, hitting Sanders – an innocent bystander – four times and fatally wounding him.

The rally was organized by Sanders friends and family, and it provided an outlet for community members to express their rage and sadness at the unjust murder of yet another Black man at the hands of police.

Members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Appleton Students for a Democratic Society participated in the rally, holding signs at Houdini plaza and discussing Sanders murder with passersby.

Michael Stevens gave a speech demanding that the investigation into Jimmie’s murder be reopened. Stevens directed attendees to sign the Sanders family’s petition that calls on the Outagamie County District Attorney’s office to reopen Jimmie’s case and undergo an impartial investigation. People interested in signing the petition can do so at this link: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-jimmie-sanders

Stevens called attention to the way that the APD has placed the blame for Sanders’ death entirely on Henry Nellum, the person they had originally been called to respond to that night at the bar. According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website, Nellum was ultimately convicted of five charges relating to the incident, including felony murder and first-degree recklessly endangering safety, while Officer Steinke got off scot-free.

“Steinke put multiple lives in danger that night and ultimately murdered Jimmie Sanders. He was able to stay on the force and retire two years after he took Sanders' life. He is now walking free, while Henry Nellum is sitting in prison for 16-and-a-half years for a murder he did not commit. Nellum didn't kill Jimmie. Officer Steinke did!” Stevens said.

Stevens concluded, “We don't need more cops pretending to investigate themselves. The community should control the police. We need a civilian elected council that has the final say when it comes to police budgets, policies and employment. If a cop murders an innocent, they should lose their job, and be convicted just like the rest of us. Jay Steinke needs to be in prison for this murder, not Henry Nellum.”

Jimmie’s brother Brian Sanders also gave a speech highlighting the biased and corrupt nature of the investigation into his brother’s murder, and reiterated the call for the case to be reopened and investigated by an impartial outside party.

The rally continued with a march through downtown Appleton and around the police station. Police closed the gate to the station’s parking lot as the crowd marched past.

#AppletonWI #PoliceBrutality #JimmieSanders

Appleton, WI – On Saturday, May 21, the family of Jimmie Sanders – a man murdered by Appleton police in May 2017 – alongside Fox Valley Food Not Bombs, Appleton SDS, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and United Action Oshkosh organized a rally and march to bring attention to the case, and to crowdfund for the Jimmie Sanders legal team.

Sanders, an African American man, was fatally shot by Lieutenant Jay Steinke of the Appleton Police Department at Jack's Apple Pub on May 21, 2017. Steinke was responding to the bar for a report of a shot fired inside. Henry Nellum, a 36-year-old from Milwaukee, was convicted of firing that shot during a fight with another man. When Steinke arrived, he shot Nellum, hitting him in the arm, but also shot and killed Sanders, an innocent bystander who wasn't involved in the incident.

Steinke, who retired in 2019, wasn't charged for the murder of Sanders. In fact, a 13-day investigation by Green Bay police led then-Outagamie County District Attorney Carrie Schneider to determine that Steinke “acted appropriately given the threat.” Nellum was later convicted for his “role in the shooting death of Jimmie Sanders” and is currently serving 16.5 years in prison despite not being the one responsible for his murder.

Speakers at the rally decried police repression and emphasized the necessity to implement civilian police accountability councils across the country. Terrence Freeman, the chair of Appleton SDS and a member of FRSO, stated, “The police do not exist to protect and serve us. Their purpose is to repress, brutalize and exploit the Black and brown working class. Their purpose is to maintain the white supremacist status quo.”

Freeman continued, “Look at our communities! They are the most heavily policed areas in this country. Look at the statistics – Black people are disproportionately killed by the police every year. And just analyze our history; it is a fact that the police in America evolved from slave patrols. Slave patrols.”

To conclude his speech, Freeman advocated for CPACs (Civilian Police Accountability Councils): “CPACs will ensure that law enforcement is ruled by us – the people – not by some racist police board. We must control the police and ensure that they can no longer control and brutalize us. We want genuine change now!”

After Freeman’s speech, the protesters marched to the Appleton police station chanting for justice for Sanders.

#AppletonWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #AppletonSDS #JimmieSanders

Appleton, WI – On May 21, over 50 people from across eastern Wisconsin gathered to remember the life of Jimmie Sanders, who was shot and killed by Appleton Police Officer Jay Steinke four years ago. Jimmie Sanders was an innocent bystander who witnessed a bar fight where a single gunshot was fired. The firearm discharge drew Appleton police to the scene. Officer Steinke was one of the first to respond, barging onto the scene and shooting recklessly into Jack Apples Pub.

The actions of Officer Steinke led directly to Jimmie’s death and injured Henry Nellum, the man whose gunshot drew the police in the first place. However, then-Outagamie County District Attorney Carrie Schneider ruled Steinke’s use of force justifiable. In the kind of sick twist that only the U.S. injustice system can provide, Henry Nellum was charged with Jimmie’s murder instead. Last September, Nellum was convicted of Jimmie’s murder and will serve 16-and-a half years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Bryan Sanders, the brother of Jimmie Sanders, called out the Appleton police department during the event, saying, “My brother had his back turned when shots rang out, and then [the Appleton police] lied and told the public that he was the aggressor.”

Friends and family bravely returned to the scene for the one of the first times since Jimmie’s murder. They took time to mourn and called the community to continue applying pressure on the APD to admit wrongdoing. A lawsuit against the Appleton Police Depart was filed on behalf of the Sanders family in August of 2020.

Those in attendance marched to the police station and to the location where Sanders was killed while chanting and demanding a civilian-led police accountability council, or CPAC. The evening concluded with a candlelight vigil, a moment of silence, and words of unity for people to take with them moving forward. The event was co-hosted by Bryan Sanders, the Wisconsin Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Food Not Bombs Fox Valley, and Appleton Students for a Democratic Society.

The struggle for justice for all stolen lives continues in northeastern Wisconsin. On May 23, members from these different groups will be gathering in Green Bay to stand with the family of Jonathon Tubby, another area victim of killer cops, as they host a press conference off the heels of the announcement that their federal case was dismissed by Judge William Griesbach. The press conference will be held at 12:30 p.m. at Thornberry Creek at Oneida.

#AppletonWI #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #JimmieSanders