Jefferson, LA – On November 4, Jefferson Parish resident Arleen Robertson, mother of police murder victim Daviri Robertson, will speak out at a community forum at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church. Robertson is fighting to appeal the qualified immunity of the police officer who murdered her son. Fight Back! spoke with Ms. Robertson to share her story.

In March of 2019, five officers from Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s department murdered two Black men, Daviri Robertson and Chris Joseph, after barricading them in an IHOP parking lot. Despite the two being unarmed, the department claims they had credible reason to open fire on their vehicle. There is no dash or bodycam footage to substantiate their claim, and, in March of this year, a panel of judges ruled the available footage dubious, at best. Of the two officers reported injured, one refused medical treatment, while the other was hit by friendly fire.

Robertson recounts, “Michael Charles Wibbles is that deputy that was said fired six times into the driver’s side window. Detective Benjamin Michael Jones was supposedly struck or pinned between Chris’ car and the F150 that blocked the car in from behind. Detective Carmouche and Deputy Wibbles rode together but Detective Carmouche shot approximately 11 times into the car. Detective Allen Rolando Doubleday and Detective Ben Jones rode together and blocked the car in from behind.”

Immediately after the murders, community and family members came forward with serious concerns about the shooting. They publicly condemned the sheriff’s department for using excessive and deadly force. They also sought damages from the city and organized protests to bring attention to their case. On July 27 the officers were granted qualified immunity, a process that Ms. Robertson is currently in the process of appealing. She is also currently seeking an attorney that is licensed to serve on a Supreme Court case.

The doctrine of qualified immunity, as defined by the National Conference of State Legislatures, “protects state and local officials, including law enforcement officers, from individual liability unless the official violated a clearly established constitutional right.” Legal rights have described this doctrine as “unreasonable and deeply stringent” because it requires the victims of misconduct to track down a nearly identical case of unconstitutional police conduct. Dozens of state legislators throughout the country have unsuccessfully tried to undo qualified immunity statutes. In Louisiana, the doctrine is almost exclusively used by police officers to dodge accountability for civil rights violations.

Arleen Robertson remembered her son as a charismatic and driven person. He was well liked, had a lot of friends (and girlfriends), and was known for his great sense of humor. He was athletic and earned a reputation as a skilled baseball player. Deeply entrepreneurial, Daviri operated a horticultural and power washing business named “Bops”, a play on the nickname his mother gave him, “Bebop”. And to further supplement his income, he traveled throughout the South to buy used vehicles and sell them for a profit. A discussion about a used truck was the last conversation Ms. Robertson had with her son. “I had just texted him a nice truck the morning he got killed. I noticed he didn’t respond that night, because he usually always responds. That next morning I learned that Bebop got shot and I just started screaming and such.”

Robertson fears that Daviri’s name has been forgotten. She detailed feeling frustrated and alone in her battle. “It’s just been a ride for me and it frustrates me when I’m at my church and the pastor brings up George Floyd or Breonna Taylor; I’ll be sitting in church and, like, I’m sitting right here and nobody’s trying to help me!” and said, “Our story is getting swept under the rug.”

Faced with a number of legal stumbling blocks – the court’s unwillingness to move forward without new evidence, and the aforementioned qualified immunity ruling – Robertson continues her fight for justice. She has been organizing closely with the Worker’s Voice Socialist Movement and Building Bridges, an advocacy group for families who have lost loved ones to racist policing. She has reached out to the Southern Poverty Law Center, to limited success. On September 21, she traveled to Washington DC with Building Bridges and other families impacted by state violence to demand an end to qualified immunity. New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP) is joining her call for justice.

Ms. Robertson has a number of requests to the public. First, she is in search of an attorney, specifically one licensed to serve on a supreme court case. Second, she asks that everyone watch the documentary The Daviri Robertson Story, produced by the advocacy group Speak That! Movement, available on Youtube [linked at the bottom]. She also asked that people consider donating to the family’s GoFundMe [also linked below]. Her family believes that Daviri’s story can spark a change in the racist and corrupt policing in Jefferson Parish. Ultimately, they want their story, their voice, and their demands heard by as many people as will listen.

It was clear that Robertson doesn’t plan on giving up her pursuit for justice. She is determined to bring attention to her son’s case and an end to the practice of qualified immunity. Like so many past and current activists, she is working to create a more just and compassionate world. “I’m fighting for this so that they are reprimanded for what they did, accountable for what they did, if they don’t wanna give me money, that’s fine with me.”

“I just want them to get what they deserve for doing it,” Ms. Robertson said.

The Daviri Robertson Story Youtube link here.

Justice for Daviri Robertson GoFundMe link here.

#NewOrleansLA #DaviriRobertson #PoliceCrimes #Justice #Accountability

Jacksonville, FL – As part of a coordinated effort across the country, the activist community in Jacksonville stood in solidarity with the Tampa 5. On July 11, 65 people gathered in front of the Duval County Courthouse to demand legal charges be dropped against the four members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and a union worker who were arrested in early March. Laura Rodriguez, Gia Davila, Lauren Pineiro, Jeanie Kida and Chrisley Carpio are facing felony charges.

The Tampa 5 are activists who exercised their right to protest the racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic Florida House Bill 999, now law. The prosecutor’s office and University of South Florida, pushed by Governor Ron DeSantis, seeks to make an example of them. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) along with UNF SDS organized the rally to stand in solidarity and publicly condemn the arrests and subsequent charges.

“When you come for one of us, you come for all of us,” said Maria Garcia, sister to an activist facing charges. She continued, “We demand that Prosecutor Justin Diaz resigns, that State Attorney Susan Lopez resigns, and that they drop the unjust and unfounded charges!”

Laura Rodriguez, one of the SDS members facing charges, spoke at the rally, leading a chant, “The people united, will never be defeated – El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”

Speakers reflected on previous instances of government repression and police brutalization in Jacksonville. They explained how with a unified front, activists were successful in pressing for charges to be dropped. Organizers are confident that they will win again.

Student, community and labor activists in Florida are facing unprecedented attacks. Speakers explained that it is critical that progressive and fair-minded people stand in unity and solidarity as democratic rights are threatened.

Protesters also spoke against the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, which gutted affirmative action on college campuses. Speakers talked about how this is all a plan to hurt Black and other oppressed nationality representation in higher education.

The national day of action was called by called by the Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 along with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the National Students for a Democratic Society. Protesters vowed to continue fighting for justice for the Tampa 5.

Speakers at the rally included representatives from JCAC, Take Em’ Down Jax, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), SDS, Planned Parenthood, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Duval Coalition of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE) and UPS Teamsters.

#JacksonvilleFL #justice #Tampa5

Minneapolis, MN – The family of Khalil Ahmad Azad, a 24-year-old Black man who was found dead in Crystal Lake in Robbinsdale, Minnesota on July 5, 2022, still had many unanswered questions on March 10, after Robbinsdale police released some body camera footage. The footage was released months after Khalil’s family said they requested it in September of last year. Azad was chased on foot by police in July after he was pulled over, and his body was discovered in Crystal Lake two days later.

Azad’s case gained attention after his family shared autopsy photos of his body online, showing severe bruising on his face, damage to his nose, and large scrapes on his body. The autopsy, performed by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, concluded that Azad died from “freshwater drowning,” but his family says that doesn’t make sense.

Azad’s sister, Ayisha Johnson, spoke at a rally on Friday, March 10, about the suspicious nature of the case. “Looking at those photos, you know something was wrong. There’s no drowning, he knows how to swim, he was like 6’ 4”, come on now,” Johnson said. “Every video I watch and every article, I add it up in my head. I know they [the police] are lying. Everyone can see that they’re lying.”

A statement released by Azad’s family last week says they believe the body camera footage from Robbinsdale Police was edited because the video skips, pauses, is blurry at times, and does not have time stamps listed. The family says that dogs can be heard barking in the background of the video, and an officer can be heard yelling to comply or they’ll release the dog.

Black Lives Matter Minnesota held several rallies last week demanding justice for Azad, which were endorsed by Twin Cities Justice for Jamar (TCC4J) and various other groups. Another rally is planned for this Wednesday at the Hennepin County Government Center. Azad’s family is demanding the release of all unedited body camera footage from all law enforcement agencies that were involved in Khalil’s case, and answers to all their questions.

Azad’s family said in their statement that they want to know why police stopped searching for Khalil so quickly. Police reported that they searched for Khalil for just 30 minutes. The family says they believe Azad ran from police for fear of his life, due to previous encounters with Robbinsdale police in which they threatened him.

“It’s the art of the cover-up, this is what police do,” said Monique Cullars-Doty during Friday’s rally. Cullars-Doty is a Black Lives Matter Minnesota and TCC4J member and the aunt of Marcus Golden, who was killed by Saint Paul police in 2015. “We can come out and stand up regardless of what the police say, regardless of what the media says, because we continue to see situations where white men survive and Black men do not.” Cullars-Doty also commended Khalil’s family for making the sacrifice to share the graphic autopsy photos and expose Khalil in that way.

During a rally in front of the Robbinsdale police station March 8, Toshira Garraway, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, said she believes that what Robbinsdale police did to Azad is similar to what Saint Paul police did to her fiancé, Justin Teigen, when they beat him and threw him in a trash dumpster in 2011. Garraway said the way that the body cam footage in Azad’s case goes blank after an officer says that the cameras are rolling, is similar to how the footage in her fiancé’s case went blank, leading her to believe they were both edited.

“He looks like Emmett Till,” Garraway said of Azad’s autopsy photos. “We’re not stupid. We know what our eyes show us. We see a man brutally beaten. These are modern day lynchings happening at the hands of law enforcement here in the state of Minnesota.”

Azad’s brother, Jamal Johnson, said at Friday’s rally that his family received body camera footage from Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office that day, but he said they didn’t have the chance to review this footage before the rally. Johnson said his family is still waiting to receive body camera footage from other law enforcement agencies involved, including New Hope and Crystal police, and a State Patrol helicopter.

Trahern Crews, Black Lives Matter Minnesota founder, commended Azad’s family at Friday’s rally for all they’ve been able to accomplish even though they don’t have an attorney. In addition to the body camera footage that was released, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also opened an investigation into the case last week. Crews said this investigation is unprecedented, given it’s been over eight months since Azad’s death.

Azad’s family wants all law enforcement agencies involved in his case to release all remaining body camera footage and details. “It hurts me because I have to go to sleep at night knowing that I don’t have answers,” Azad’s sister, Ayisha Johnson said. “He was such a beautiful person. He was my best friend and I loved him so much.”

#MinneapolisMN #PoliceBrutality #Minnesota #PoliceCrimes #justice