West Valley City, UT – Police have been silent since they released footage of Elijah Smith’s murder at the hands of a trigger-happy cop, but there was no silence May 3 as protesters took over the West Valley City Police Department lobby. For two solid hours, chants of “Justice for Elijah!” and “Community control now!” filled every inch of the small space, and when protesters could chant no longer, they shared stories about why they fight police violence and talked about what they think community control should look like.
West Valley City, UT – Elijah Smith was desperately trying to put his right arm in the air in order to comply with police orders when a still-unnamed officer fired the shots that took his life. His left was already raised, and he posed absolutely no threat, according to body camera footage released after police caved to activist demands and recently made the video public.
West Valley City, UT – It was Elijah Smith’s smile that came up again and again, April 14, as roughly 75 protesters gathered to demand justice for the young Black man murdered by West Valley City police exactly one week earlier. It was a smile that caught everyone’s attention and brought light and levity to all who saw it, according to his friends and family. It was a smile that no one will have the privilege of seeing again due to the racist, corrupt, and violent practices of the West Valley City police department.
West Valley City, UT – In the third recent act of brutality by the West Valley City Police Department, on April 8, officers killed Elijah James Smith, a young Black man who was fleeing for his life.
