When The System Protects Itself
By Malik Washington, Destination Freedom Media Group
Don’t get it twisted. The fight for justice in Alameda County did not begin in a courtroom, and it sure didn’t begin with a reporter remembering Steven Taylor’s name when a subpoena hit the headlines. Some believe that it may have began 59 years ago on the streets of Oakland. But for now I will stick to the context of this case.
It began with grief that refused to remain silent.
It began with a grandmother named Addie Kitchen who carried her grandson’s memory like a banner and she has refused to let America forget what a rogue police officer did to him.
And it continued because organizers refused to blink.
When legacy media went quiet…
When prosecutors stumbled and back-room deals seeped out of sealed files…
When powerful men like Amilcar “Butch” Ford allegedly whispered case secrets to police-union attack dog Michael Rains…
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Asks Court to Disqualify Defense Law Firm in Steven Taylor Case
Former Alameda County Prosecutor Working For SF DA Could Be Disbarred After Misdemeanor Complaint
Hearing delayed for former San Leandro officer charged in police shooting
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/east-bay/san-leandro-police-shooting-court/3377693
It was Cat Brooks and the Anti Police-Terror Project who kept Steven Taylor’s name alive. It was community. It was a movement.
Meanwhile, the press played favorites… And I can’t help but ask “Why?”
Jakob Rodgers of the East Bay Times had no problem naming prosecutors Zachary Linowitz and James Conger in this subpoena drama. But silence in his recent article when it came to Ford. Silence when it came to the sabotage that undermined justice from the inside.
Alameda County DA to subpoena former prosecutors in handling of case against former San Leandro cop
‘Unethical’ or ‘shady’?:
Lawyers spar in manslaughter case against San Leandro officer
That’s not journalism. That’s institutional loyalty dressed like reporting.
New name, same system: Doug Martin…
Former NFL running back Doug Martin dies in OPD custody. Another Black man. Another family shattered. Another department scrambling for narrative control.
This is not local — this is America!
From Steven Taylor in San Leandro;
to Ajike Owens in Florida;
to Sonya Massey in Illinois;
to the silent morgues of Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California.
This isn’t coincidence. This is design.
Cat Brooks showed us the blueprint;
APTP didn’t just protest. They investigated. They created pressure when pressrooms went quiet. They treated our dead like they mattered.
We are the witness and we are the warning;
To the community I say this: Do not get tired. Do not let these names fade. Do not let power rewrite the story.
We fight because they fought.
We speak because they were silenced.
We remember because the world depends on it.
The struggle continues.
And so do we.
Today, we leave you with this video and song:
Kendrick Lamar – Alright (Official Music Video)
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group. For over 13 years, Malik has been a published journalist and news reporter focusing on criminal justice issues, conditions of confinement in jails and prisons, as well as hot-button political issues. You can reach him via email: mwashington@destination-freedom.org or call him at (719) 715-9592.
Suggestions or leads on stories are always welcome.
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