The civil rights leader and the high-profile attorney, who Sharpton has dubbed "Black America's Attorney general," deemed the police shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain "one of the most. Andrew Boryga Updated Sep. 17, 2021 3:30PM ET / Published Sep. 17, 2021 11:54AM ET If he [the sheriffs deputy] felt like he was in danger, hes got a taser on his hip. Comforting grieving families and speaking at funerals for victims of police brutality never gets any easier. As a result, there have only been nine days this year where police did not kill someone. He turned, too, to the Bible, with the parable of the Good Samaritan. "On the other end -- and this is more recent, after all these controversies and protests over use of force -- you see a more recent wave of states going the opposite direction and actually mandating faster disclosure.". Sell My Home. The bond for the former deputy was set at $15,000. The former deputy subsequently surrendered to state police agents, and on September 20 he appeared at the Lonoke County Sheriffs Office where bond was set at $15,000. Davis was fired because he hadnt activated his bodycam during the shooting but attorneys for Brittains family say Sheriff John Staley should have fired Davis for shooting Brittain, a white teenager whose death drew national headlines and attention from civil rights activists. List My Home for Rent . Davis said he shot Brittain once, after the teen exited his truck and reached into its bed ignoring the sheriffs deputys orders to show his hands. Setting and Participants A total of 173 sedentary, overweight (body mass index . However, that is challenging because of the complexity in each event. If the Senate wont pass reform legislation, then more pressure should be put on the president if the legislature doesnt act. According to Statista.com, the trend of fatal police shootings in the United States seems to only be increasing, with a total 604 civilians having been shot, 108 of whom were Black, in the first six months of 2021. According to MappingPoliceViolence.org, 745 people have been killed by police in the United States this year, of which 251 were white. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. That would be a legitimate argument.". Jordan King, Brittains 16-year-old friend and an eye-witness, said he and Brittain had worked through the night to change the transmission on Brittains truck after having driven approximately one mile down the road to Mahoneys Body Shop to make the repairs. This is what determines the prevalence of right-wing and racist views within police departments, as well as the fact that minorities, disproportionately among the most impoverished sections of the working class, are disproportionately among their victims. If youre for Trump wear your Trump button but keep marching. [3], The body camera of the deputy was turned over to Arkansas State Police. A special prosecutor announced the charge against 30-year-old Michael Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office, in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. He is no longer with us in the physical sense, but his spirit is calling us to get out of our frozen place and unite, stand together, march together and fight together for true justice for all. Did the officer hold a reasonable belief that his safety or the safety of others was at risk? Context The increasing prevalence of obesity is a major public health concern. The vast majority of those who are brutalized, disappeared or killed by the armed and uniformed enforcers of the capitalist state are from the working class. He urged all to unite behind equal justice for all races.. Young Hunter did nothing wrong, just like George Floyd and others did nothing wrong but if we segregate how we react to the states violence, then we are in the wrong. Why have Ben Crump and Al Sharpton taken up the case of Hunter Brittain? Staley should resign immediately or be set aside by the voters.. "We're ready to find out something. Instead, [Staley] fired Davis for not recording the crime, instead of for committing the crime, attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob said in a statement after the sentencing. It is long past time that we end qualified immunity, which shields police officers from being held personally accountable in civil lawsuits. The teen didn't respond to oral commands given by the deputy, Newcomb said. Then friends spoke. -- Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob issued the following statement following the firing of Sergeant . IE 11 is not supported. "How can we trust if he [the prosecutor] won't give us an opportunity to verify? For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Mary Brittain started hunting in Oregon with her husband in 1955, something that would turn into a family tradition carried out for generations to come. A cop shot and killed Hunter Brittain as the 17-year-old was trying to grab an antifreeze jug from his car. Al Sharpton is an MSNBC columnist and civil rights leader. The report from the Pulaski County coroner in Little Rock says that Hunter Brittain, 17, was killed during a predawn June 23 traffic stop when he stepped from his truck and approached the deputy . Are people going to have to fear for their lives again?. The Lonoke County Sheriff's Office said it has turned the investigation of the shooting that occurred at about 3 a.m. over to Arkansas State Police. The teen and his passenger were on a test drive at the time of the. He was white too, so you likely hadnt heard about that one either. Relatives have said a witness to the shooting claims Davis didn't give oral commands before the shooting. 1 Of those 6565 . "I can argue otherwise. LONOKE COUNTY, Ark. When Pope County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Phillips, acting as the special prosecutor in this case, announced the charge during . Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas. Florida apartment collapse survivors could still be inside building. Under conditions of insurmountable wealth inequality, the Democratic and Republican parties have increased funding for law enforcement, armed departments with military-grade weapons, and provided training for police forces which claim the lives of more than 1,000 people every year. Of those deaths 47 were killed by self inflicted wounds and by other cops. More than a month after a Lonoke County deputy shot and killed 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, officials have yet to release body camera footage amid a national conversation about police transparency. Mr Brittan's grandmother was among people protesting outside the Sheriff's office. He received the investigative file July 15, according to an email from the Arkansas Prosecutor Coordinating Office. Personal injury attorneys Ben Crump and Devon M. Jacob filed the lawsuit and they issued this statement: Staley is sued both personally and in his individual capacity. The Rev. Hunter Brittain should have been celebrating this Fourth of July weekend. An Arkansas-Democrat Gazette Freedom of Information request to state police was denied on the grounds that the case was still under investigation. The horrific death of young Hunter Brittain sadly shows us that no one is safe until there is true police reform and accountability. "It really needs to be kept until the prosecutor determines if it is appropriate for release," Golden said. A Freedom of Information request for the footage was sent to Phillips on July 14. His sister sent me these photos. Martins mother, Lakisha Williams, said she understands what the Brittain family was going through. Like so many. A special prosecutor announced the felony charge against Michael Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office, in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. Hunter Brittain was driving a truck that was stopped by the deputy, identified as Sgt Michael Davis, in Arkansas. You are not tested by helping those that you like or know well, Sharpton said. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. SEARCH; For Sale. He listed police victims Black, white and Chinese laid at the presidents feet. A memorial was held for 17-year-old Hunter Brittain who was fatally shot June 23 by a Lonoke County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop around 3 a.m. outside of a local auto repair shop in . SPEAKERS: From left, lawyers Devon Jacob and Ben Crump, and Rev. People protesting the killing of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain doing burnouts in the parking lot of the Lonoke County sheriff's office. The prosecuting attorney in that case, Larry Jegley, released his decision not to file criminal charges April 19. He urged them to say it loudly, so his grandmother with a hearing aid and Brittain in heaven could hear. When Brittain remarked that we must end qualified immunity, he received a standing ovation and rightfully so. Michael Davis near Cabot, Arkansas, United States. It is legal for officials to deny body camera footage because of an ongoing criminal investigation, Robert Steinbuch, professor of law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and co-author of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, said Thursday. What the public wants will look different across the county and should be democratically decided. His uncle, Jesse Brittain, said the family wouldn't stop advocating until there was justice for Hunter and he also invoked "unjust killings". One protester spray-painted the words Justice for Hunter on the building. 27 June 2021. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly affected the US healthcare system. Hunter was white, a fact that may surprise people familiar with the cases I have represented in the past. 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