The Central Park Five was a group of five young men–four African Americans (Yusef Salaam, 16; Anthony McCray, 16; Kharey Wise, 18; and Kevin Richardson, 16) and one Hispanic (Raymond Santana, 15)–who were tried and convicted of attempted murder, rape, sodomy, and assault of a … Read MoreThe Central Park Five (1989)
In 2012 Timothy Russell, an African American man, was involved in a car chase by Cleveland, Ohio police officers. At the end of the chase he and Malissa Williams were shot and killed by one of the officers. Their controversial deaths helped inspire the Black Lives Matter movement the following year. … Read MoreTimothy R. Russell (1968-2012)
In 2003 Orlando Barlow was shot in the back while attempting to surrender to Las Vegas, Nevada Police officers. His murder helped generate what would eventually become a national debate about police use of deadly force against unarmed citizens and the eventual organization of the Black Lives Matter movement. Orlando Barlow … Read MoreOrlando Barlow (1974-2003)
On June 14, 2012, Shantel Davis, a 23-year-old African-American woman, was fatally shot by New York City, New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Phil Atkins. She was unarmed, and her death occurred while the national discussion of police brutality was gaining publicity in the wake of similar killings. That … Read MoreShantel Davis (1989-2012)
In 2005 Henry Glover was a resident of Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana. He survived Hurricane Katrina, only to be brutally murdered by a New Orleans Police officer just days after the storm. According to Glover’s fiancée, Rolanda Short, on the morning of September 2, 2005, Glover and friend Bernard … Read MoreHenry Glover (1974-2005)
The shooting on New Year’s of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old black man from Oakland, California, sparked major protests against excessive deadly force used by the police. These protests began less than a week after Grant had been shot and killed by Johannes Mehserle, a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) … Read MoreThe Oscar Grant (Oakland) Protests, 2009-2011
Twelve-year-old DeAunta T. Farrow, killed by West Memphis, Arkansas Police Officer Erik Sammis on June 22, 2007, was one of the youngest victims of a police shooting that year. His death sparked protests in West Memphis and brought national attention to another death of an unarmed black citizen at … Read MoreDeAunta T. Farrow (1994-2007)
The death of a 25-year-old black man, Freddie Gray, while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department led to an outcry in Baltimore, Maryland and eventually across the nation. As the tensions became greater, peaceful protests became violent and resulted in the most extensive rioting in Baltimore since the 1960s. Unlike … Read MoreBaltimore Protests and Riots, 2015
Reginald Doucet, a 25-year-old California native, was shot and killed on January 14, 2011, during an altercation with Officer Aaron Goff of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Goff, a rookie officer who had been on the force for only 17 months, was found justified in the shooting … Read MoreReginald Doucet (1985-2011)
On the night of November 29, 2012, Malissa A. Williams was killed by Cleveland, Ohio police officer Michael Brelo, along with Timothy Russell. Williams was 30 and Russell was 43 at the time of their deaths. We know little about the background of Williams beyond her birth … Read MoreMalissa A. Williams (1982-2012)
