Families impacted by police murder from across the country travel to Las Vegas to stand with local families who have lost their loved ones at the hands of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Press Release – At 5PM on Saturday, June 6, 2020, at JammyLand, 1121 S. Main Street, a press conference featuring families impacted by police murder from New York, California, Seattle, Atlanta, St. Louis, MO, and North Carolina will join Las Vegas families impacted by police murder to refocus on local efforts for justice and accountability while standing in solidarity with the George Floyd family, all families impacted by police murder, and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Following the press conference, at 6PM, families will march to 920 Events at 920 S. Commerce St., where they will memorialize their loved ones as the community bears witness.
Amongst families present include the cousin of Seattle Police homicide victim, Charleena Lyles, Katrina Johnson, sister of Woodland Police homicide victim, Michael Barrera, Marissa Barrera, and brother of NYPD police homicide victim Delrawn Small, Victor Dempsey, who originated the call for solidarity amongst all families impacted by police violence and for families to step up in leadership in this national movement against police terrorism. Locally impacted families include the family members of Byron Williams, Rafael Olivas, Rex Wilson, Keith Childress, Jr., Joseph Justin, and police abuse survivors Cristina Paulos, Jesus Carvajal, and Lauri Benson, the mother of police shooting victim, Nathan Benson, who remains incarcerated without the proper medical care he needs to heal from his shooting wound from 2013.
For too long the struggle of families whose loved ones have been killed by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department have gone unnoticed and unrecognized; their loved ones immediately criminalized by the LVMPD and local media outlets that regurgitate falsified police narratives, turning away any opportunity for the community to be engaged and for the family to garner community support.
As we have learned in far too many cases, the community plays an integral role in the delivery of justice (or lack thereof) . Every year 1000-1500 new families across the nation are inducted into a cohort forced to live with the all too devastating reality of state-sponsored terrorism. Most of these killings receive little to no media attention, creating a complete absence of support, leaving the family stigmatized and isolated. On the other hand, the few nationally-known cases receive all of the public’s attention only for families to be tokenized and exploited for one of the most traumatic events of their lives.
This weekend this collective of families will share their experience, strength and necessary wisdom for these challenging and transformative times.
*The families of Nicholas Heyward, Jr., Alberta Spruill, Stephon Clark, Cornelius ‘Kat’ Davis, Charlie Salinas, Vincent Vermin Valenzuela, Jayvis Benjamin, Mauricio Barron, Santino Trevino, and Keith Trudell will also be present.
