2 Million People Have Signed This Petition to Demand Justice for Elijah McClain—Add Your Name
Warning: This story discusses police brutality and murder.
Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man from Aurora, Colorado, died last August after he was detained by police, put in a chokehold, and injected with ketamine by first responders. Now, nearly a year later, McClain’s name and story are among many being spread amid ongoing Black Lives Matter protests and the fight against police brutality. The Change.org petition seeking justice for his death has garnered over 2 million signatures in just three weeks.
On August 24th, 2019, Aurora police received a call describing “a suspicious Black male wearing a ski mask, ‘acting weird,'” an incident overview written by District Attorney Dave Young reads. The department dispatched three officers: Nathan Woodward, Jason Rosenblatt, and Randy Roedema. McClain’s sister told a local news source last year that McClain was simply walking home from the store, listening to music, and that he was wearing an open face ski mask because “he had anemia and would sometimes get cold.” The officers approached McClain and the report claims he “appeared to ignore” their commands to stop walking, saying, “I have a right to go where I am going.” Woodward and Rosenblatt then grabbed McClain by his arms.
On a body camera, McClain can be heard pleading, “Let me go, I am an introvert. Please respect my boundaries that I am speaking.”
Roedema joined in as all three officers tackled McClain to the ground. Woodward then put McClain into a chokehold until he lost consciousness and the officers called Aurora First Responders. Though McClain seems to have been unconscious at the time, a fire medic requested ketamine in an “attempt to sedate McClain,” and administered 500 milligrams of the drug. Soon after, the same medic noticed McClain’s chest wasn’t rising and that he had no pulse. McClain was taken to the hospital and declared brain dead three days later.
At first, the autopsy report stated the cause of McClain’s death to be “undetermined.” McClain’s family called for an independent investigation and prosecution for the murder of their son, and the city of Aurora opened an external review on June 9th. However, the investigation was quickly derailed. CBS News reports: Attorney Mari Newman, who represents McClain’s family, said in a statement that “only recently, in response to the petition and increased public scrutiny, did Aurora finally claim to have hired a so-called ‘independent investigator,’ who media quickly revealed was actually a former police officer turned lawyer, whose legal practice is dedicated to defending police who use excessive force.”
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Newman continued, writing, “Aurora has no intention of taking responsibility for murdering an innocent young man.” “Its entire effort is to defend its brutality at all costs, and to lie to the public it is supposed to serve.” She reported that the family is thankful for the millions who have shown support and demanded justice for their son in recent weeks, but that “it should not take a massive petition and national media attention for city leaders to do their jobs.”
Unfortunately, though, that is still the case. To demand that the officers involved in McClain’s death be taken off-duty, and that a more in-depth investigation is held, sign the Change.org petition here. The Instagram account @JusticeForElijahMcClain is asking that the other responders involved, Matthew Green, Sergeant Dale Leonard, Lieutenant Peter Chichuniec, and Jeremy Cooper are all fired immediately.
Refer to the post above for phone numbers to call and a script to use for demands. You can also donate to the family’s GoFundMe here.
