073 Justice for Marqueese: 6/12/2018

RealTalk with The6thman

The mayor ordered flags with 51 stars to line up and down Pennsylvania Avenue bringing attention to DC Statehood! I’m really confused about her priorities when you have MPD officers shooting and killing young black male residents with no accountability being taken! In 2018 Mayor Bowser spent 5 million dollars for the body camera program however, she has stripped the body camera program of any benefit to the residents of our community by giving the MPD complete control of the body camera footage. As a result, MPD regularly refuses to release 99% of the body camera footage when requested. MPD has denied families access to the footage in every single high-profile police killing in 2018. On June 12, 2018 Marqueese Alston was shot 15 times and the family had to wait 12 months to see 5 mins of altered footage of the incident! The families of D’Quan Young and Jeffery Price are among those who have been denied access to body camera footage related to their killings by MPD. I’m truly concerned with Mayor Bowsers priorities as well as the lack of accountability and transparency from MPD’s Chief Newsham I’m regards to these police involved shootings. In stead of focusing on DC Statehood why can’t the conversation be about police brutality which is the core of these shootings. There needs to be an implementation of law that mandates the city to release all body camera footage in a police involved shooting not being concern with statehood! We want justice for all the families that have endured so much pain in the loss of a family member meanwhile these officers are still on the job being paid and not accountability being taken against them. Let’s talk about that instead! #realtalkpodcast #maqueeselifematters #dquanslifematters #jefferyslifematters #releasebodycam