KOMPLEXIFY!

Rekia Boyd always lit up the room. The 22-year-old grew up in Chicago and its suburbs. She loved cooking and was great at it; she loved singing and was… not so great at it. Rekia was sweet and trusting and had a knack for making friends. According to her brother, “she would leave for a second and come back with four or five people [and say] ‘Hey, these my friends, y’all!’” She was also keenly aware of the issue of violence against women, and she dreamed of being able to create a safe place in Chicago for women and children.

Rekia Boyd was murdered by police on March 21, 2012, for making too much noise. She was with friends who were partying and listening to music in Douglas Park. Around 1 AM, an off-duty, out-of-uniform cop in the park drove up to them and demanded they keep the noise down. The cop got into a verbal altercation with Antonio, one of the partygoers, who told him to get his “ass out of here.” The cop responded by opening fire on the group, killing Rekia and wounding Antonio. He would claim Antonio had a gun, but he was only carrying a cell phone. He was charged with manslaughter, but a judge dismissed the charges.

Black lives matter.

Crispus Attucks fought to be free. Born into slavery in the Massachusetts colony, he was the son of an enslaved African father and a Wampanoag mother. Standing 6-foot-2, he was strong and savvy and knock-kneed. By age 27, he escaped slavery and headed to the coast, where he earned a living as a stevedore, working as a whaler on sea, and a rope-maker on land. In addition to staying one foot ahead of slave patrols, Crispus also had to keep an eye out for British soldiers, who would forcibly conscript American seamen to the British Navy, and who competed with American stevedores for jobs along the coast. Yet, for twenty years, he did just that, building himself a life at sea and in Massachusetts.

Crispus Attucks was murdered by British soldiers March 5, 1770, over a barber’s bill. The British had steadily increased their military presence in Massachusettes to clamp down on civil unrest over ever-increasing tax laws on the colonists. However, their presence only served to depress wages further, exacerbating the tensions, and fights between colonists and redcoats broke out frequently. One evening, after one redcoat refused to pay his barber bill and another threatened anyone who complained, group of colonists — including Crispus, who had only the night before returned from the Bahamas — confronted the them. The colonists hurled insults and snowballs at the soldiers. When one soldier was struck by a wooden staff, the redcoats opened fire on the colonists, killing five and wounding six. Crispus was shot first, taking two bullets in the chest. Future US President John Adams defended the soldiers, and all were acquitted save two, who were punished by having their thumbs branded.

Crispus is remembered today as the first casualty of the American Revolution:

And to honor Crispus Attucks
who was the leader and voice that day:
The first to defy, and the first to die,
with Maverick, Carr, and Gray.
Call it riot or revolution,
or mob or crowd as you may,
Such deaths have been seeds of nations,
such lives shall be honored for aye.
— John Boyle O’Reilly

Black lives matter.

Aaron Bailey was working hard to save his son. The 45-year-old resident of Indianapolis was always outwardly a charmer and a flirt, breaking ladies’ hearts about as often as they broke his (which, according to his sister, happened frequently). He had two children, a son and a daughter. Unfortunately, he also had drug addictions, and spent time in and out of Indiana’s correctional system for various drug-related convictions. While serving time, Aaron’s daughter would write him about the family, and the news that his son was homeless shattered him. Aaron resolved to get his life together so that his son could have a safe and stable home. He currently lived and worked at the Wheeler Mission, which offered programs to help homeless men find stable employment. He started working on getting healthy, running each morning with the “Back on My Feet” group and completing several 5Ks. With additional part-time work, he earned enough money to buy some new clothes and a Cadillac. His next goal was a permanent place to live, one big enough for him and his son.

Aaron Bailey was murdered by police on June 29, 2017, while driving his Cadillac. He had earned an overnight pass and was out with a date. Cops pulled the vehicle, suspecting it might be stolen. Aaron, who was wearing an ankle bracelet as part of his release, feared that he was being pulled over because its battery had died earlier, and would be returned to jail over it. He panicked and fled the scene. The car pursuit was brief, as Aaron quickly crashed into a tree. The cops drew their weapons on him, and fired at least eleven times, striking him four times in the back as he hunched over in the car. His last words were “They shot me, baby.” There were no weapons in his car. No files were charges against the cops.

Black lives matter.

Christopher Whitfield was the embodiment of “it takes a village.” The 31-year-old resident of Ethel, Louisiana, “Whip” was the eldest of six siblings. He was a kind person who always had a smile on his face. His was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had difficulty managing his medication, but his tight-knit family and community knew him and helped him. He had a few run-ins with the cops, including some jail time, most often for theft. Often, the police would simply go to his home and wait for him to return, as they were part of his community safety net.

Christopher Whitfield was murdered by police on October 14, 2019, over a frozen chicken. Responding to a call that a person broke into a gas station’s outdoor freezer and stole a bag of frozen chicken, a cop confronted Christopher, who fled. The cop – who had been previously convicted of illegally firing his weapon in 1992, assaulting his girlfriend in 2004, and resisting an officer (stemming from his use of excessive force) in 2008 – gave chase. He fired a warning shot at Christopher’s feet, and managed to catch up to him, grabbing his hoodie. After a brief struggle, the cop shot him the back. He was not charged with any crimes.

Black lives matter.

Korryn Gaines was a fighter. As a kid in Baltimore, she grew up exposed to lead paint, and tested for toxic levels of lead, but she never let that stop her. Feisty and uncompromising, she did everything: swimming, dance, marching band, cheerleading, always competing to be the best. She was a voracious reader and interested in social activism. She adored her two children, worked as a cosmetologist, and was generally happy… until her friend Freddie Gray was killed by the police in April of 2015. She began speaking out against police brutality, livestreaming and documenting her encounters with police. She found herself being harassed by them more frequently. In March of 2016, she was pulled over for driving without license plates. She was arrested after being threatened with a Taser and locked up in isolation for two days. Shortly after, she miscarried twins, which she blamed on her mistreatment at the hands of the police.

Korryn Gaines was murdered by police on August 1, 2016, over those missing license plates. Having failed to show up in traffic court, cops attempted to break into her home to arrest her again. Armed with the shotgun she had legally purchased, Korryn refused to leave, convinced the cops would harm her. Her boyfriend and daughter left the house, but Korryn remained inside with her 5-year-old son Kodi, asking to be left alone: “I’m in my home. I ain’t trying to hurt nobody.” She livestreamed the standoff for six hours, sharing her fears, talking with her son, and filming the cops at the door. The cops did not call in their mental health clinician. Instead, they called Facebook to deactivate her account and end her livestream, which Facebook eventually did. Within minutes of the livestream ending and no cameras recording them anymore, cops raided the apartment and shot Korryn several times, hitting her Kodi as well. He survived. She did not. The cops were not charged with a crime.

Black lives matter.