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Family of Marcus Peters Demands Police Reforms at City Council Tonight

Maggie Campbell | June 11, 2018

Topics: Lethal Force, Marcus Peters, Police Killing, richmond, Richmond city council, Richmond police department, virginia

The demand for justice in the killing of Marcus-David Peters moved from the streets to the council meeting room Monday night.

After a march for justice and reformation for Peters on June 2, family and community members addressed city council to call for transparency and an examination into Richmond Police Department’s crisis intervention training during the citizen comment period of the meeting.

As the demonstrators sat in the back of the gallery wearing burgundy and demanding justice for the actions by the department, Richmond City Council recognized Deputy Police Chief Steven R. Drew for his service to the community. Drew has no direct connection to the investigation, but offered a stark juxtaposition to Peters’ sister, Princess Blanding, who took to the podium a short time later.

Blanding Addressing Council

Blanding, in her address, focused on the need for better crisis intervention training and response, asking the RPD to release the curriculum for the training so it could be assessed for its effectiveness. Throughout her address, she also insisted that the current communication by the department did not demonstrate transparency.

“If what you have done so far is what you call being transparent, the community and I will pass on what you have to offer because there are still so many unanswered questions,” Blanding said. After the community comment, Blanding spoke with RVA Mag and said she was hopeful that city council was receptive to her and others comments.

“I’m going to be very optimistic and hope they are being very receptive and they plan on joining with us in this movement to continue to fight for justice and reformation,” Blanding said.

Lynetta Thompson, a former president of the Richmond NAACP, also spoke, asking the police department for more transparency.

Chief Durham Listening to the Family and Supporters of Marcus Peters

“In order for the people to be heard, in order for the people to have full accountability, it is important that we not only talk about transparency, but that we actually exemplify it by not protecting those that got it wrong,” Thompson said. “When something is wrong it is important that management and administrations admit that sometimes they get it wrong.”

Rebecca Keel, a conflict resolution specialist, has been outspoken in calling for an end to the murdering and dehumanization of black and brown people. At council she claimed the family is due an official apology.

“One must admit harm when harm is done and that is truly how we as a society, and we as a city, begin our healing,” Keel said.

Family, friends, and community members had previously gathered on June 2 at the Siegel Center to remember the untimely death of Peters. The hundreds of marchers ended up at police headquarters where they continued their primary chant of, “help not death.” Signs bearing the phrase were held up by many demonstrators in burgundy during the comments at council.

Princess Blanding, Sister of Marcus Peters

“My disappointment continues at the higher levels, instead of taking responsibility and stating that you all messed up and extending you sincerest condolences to my family, the Richmond Police Department was insincere, insensitive, judgemental, and prepared to defend your officer without releasing information to the public,” Blanding said.

 

Activists and Family Take to the Streets to March for Justice in the Police Killing of Marcus Peters

Sarah Honosky | June 2, 2018

Topics: Marcus Peters, Police, Police Accountability, richmond, Richmond police department, social justice, virginia

“Help, not death.” That was the chant that permeated today’s march that ended at the Richmond Police Department (RPD) headquarters, where hundreds of people demanded justice and reformation for Marcus Peters – an unarmed black man in mental distress who was shot and killed by a Richmond police officer on May 14.

“We are here in honor of Marcus-David Peters and other folks who have fallen victim and died at the hands of state-sanctioned violence,” said Jasmine Leeward, a New Virginia Majority representative who was one of the march organizers. “We are trying to band together as a community to show that Marcus’ life mattered, and other victims of state-sanctioned violence, their lives mattered, and to call for justice, accountability, and reformation.” She also acknowledged that there needs to be more clarity and compassion and “less violence” when it comes to people who are in a mental health crisis. 

Throughout the march, there was a constant, but impassioned reprise from those who attended: That Peters needed “help, not death”. On the day that Peters was killed, he was having an unidentified episode of mental distress – something which is far too common in the US – especially as police come into contact with people who are having these episodes. According to Chief Alfred Durham in a press conference last week, officers only receive 40 hours of training on how to handle issues surrounding mental health. 

Nonetheless, Peters was the 425th person to be fatally shot by a law enforcement officer this year, according to The Washington Post’s Fatal Force database.

Peters’ aunt, Taisha Peters, a mental health worker said that it is crucial for things to be handled differently, especially when it comes to the treatment of those who are mentally ill. “That’s primarily why I’m here, to support reformation for not just my nephew who lost his life, but others who may happen to also. [The RPD is] ill-equipped. They don’t have proper training, they’ve admitted that themselves on the record…That’s no excuse for what they did.”

The march began at VCU’s Siegel Center at 1 pm, before departing on the mile-long trek to the RPD headquarters on Grace Street. For the family and friends of Peters, the march retraced the steps which ultimately culminated in a life cut short; beginning at the place where Peters graduated with honors, past the Jefferson where he worked part-time, eventually ending at RPD headquarters. 

Marching Down Broad Street

“We out here to ensure that justice is served for Marcus David-Peters. Marcus, as has been echoed by his sister Princess many times, deserved to have the opportunity to be helped and should not have been killed in the process,” said marcher Antonio Redd, wearing a burgundy shirt with Peters’ face emblazoned on the front. The march organizers asked attendees to wear burgundy, Peters’ favorite color. “For other people experiencing a mental health crisis, we want to ensure that they receive the proper help that they need in order to survive, opposed to being killed in the process.”

And the crowd that gathered in front of the Siegel Center was flooded with burgundy, along with a sea of signs clamoring for justice and reformation. A giant yellow banner was carried throughout the afternoon asking, “What if Marcus Peters was your son, would his death still be justifiable?”

A cabal of different organizations and individuals joined today’s march, including Democratic Socialists of America, Industrial Workers of the World, Iraq veterans, along with members of various black churches, people committed to social justice, and those who simply thought the death of Peters was an abuse of police power all rallied to support Peters’ family.

Industrial Workers of the World

Ozzie, an Iraq veteran who chose to only give his first name, said the Richmond Police Department’s actions are out of control. “In the military, we show a lot more restraint. In that situation, we could have detained that person. The police didn’t show the same level of restraint. I think it’s the mindset of a lot of police to escalate the situation instead of de-escalating them.”

Before the march to RPD officially began, speakers including march organizer Rebecca Keel and Pastor of Second Baptist Church, Dr. James Henry Harris took to the podium. 

“We are not here by coincidence,” said Keel. “We are here to affirm the dignity of Marcus’ life, the value of his life, the force of his life. We are here to say to this country, to this state, to this city, the police department that we must end the murder and dehumanization of black and brown people.”

March Organizer, Rebecca Keel

VCU community organizers Khudai Tanveer and Taylor Davis also confronted the silence from the university on the death of Peters with an open letter detailing demands to the university and holding the school accountable for their lack of response on one of their alum. “We are allowing for 18 days from the initial receipt of this letter for the release of the stance critical on the use of force. We are generously selecting 18 days when it only took 18 seconds to make a decision that ultimately ended the life of Marcus-David Peters,” said Tanveer.

Next up was Harris, a pastor, who delivered an impassioned speech referring to the police as the new slave master. “None of us are free until all of us are free,” he told the contemplative crowd. “The former capital of the Confederacy has a new day coming.”

As the march snaked through the city on the way to the RPD, it included an unannounced stop at the Jefferson Hotel where march goers drowned the hotel in chants, shouting, “Shame on you, Jefferson,” in reference to the hotel not reaching out to Peters’ family during the incident. Despite this and the muggy 80-degree heat, the crowd rarely slowed, ignited with an energy and mission that pushed well beyond the simple march, making it clear that this is more than just a political statement.

Confronting the Jefferson Hotel

Eventually arriving at RPD headquarters just as it began to rain, more speakers took to the podium right at the front entrance to the main building. No one from the police made an appearance or spoke to the marchers and Durham’s absence was noted by some of the marchers – some saying that it felt like an admittance of guilt. 

Princess Blanding, the sister of Peters, read six demands, among them a call for RPD to publicly release what their crisis intervention training looks like so it can be thoroughly assessed for effectiveness. She also called for the creation of a “Marcus Alert,” a way for the community to “call on mental health professionals to respond when community members are clearly in crisis,” as opposed to immediately deferring to the police, which can escalate the encounter. 

Princess Blanding Reading Demands in front of RPD

She ended the list of demands on the now familiar phrase, “Again, Marcus needed help, not death.”

On the heels of RPD’s reported excessive force against autistic Chesterfield teen McKhyl Dickerson the week before, reformation is needed now more than ever. The 2017 Police Violence Report shows that while black people are more likely to be unarmed, and less likely to be threatening, they are more likely to be killed by the police. This was a theme in today’s march as the names of black people killed by the police were never far away; names like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, and now Marcus Peters.

Today’s march for justice and reformation for Marcus Peters was also a response to the systematic and institutionalized mistreatment, violence, and over-incarceration against minorities in the US by police. In 2018, questions over accountability and transparency remain more critical than ever, more so when connected to ongoing challenges in how police deal with those who appear to be having a mental health crisis. Instead of vilifying those that are experiencing such an episode, the city needs to look for better mechanisms to help those in need. This is the only way this city will be able to move forward from this incident.

Some of the other photos from today’s march can be found below:

On the Frontlines
Marchers down Broad Street
New Majority Virginia
VCU Students and Falculty
March Organizer, Omari Kadaffi
Clergy
Infront of RPD
Closing Prayer in front of RPD

Photos by Landon Shroder

Body-Cam Footage of Marcus Peters’ Shooting Released by Richmond Police Department

Landon Shroder | May 25, 2018

Topics: Chief Durham, Marcus Peters, mental health, Police Killing, Richmond police department, vcu

Richmond Police Department (RPD) held a press conference this morning to release footage showing the officer-involved shooting of Marcus Peters on May 14 at 5:33 p.m.

Peters, a VCU graduate and biology teacher at Essex High School in Tappahannock, was shot and killed by RPD Officer Michael Nytantaki – who is currently on paid administrative leave – after crashing his car on the 95/64 highway interchange. Peters, who was naked at the time, was rolling on the ground and dancing in the street before being tased and eventually shot in the abdomen. He died shortly after midnight. The medical examiner has listed the death of Peters as a homicide.

Chief Durham

The press conference, chaired by Chief Alfred Durham, was an emotional presentation of the circumstances surrounding the death of Peters and included video from the Jefferson Hotel, traffic cameras, along with footage from the officer’s body-worn camera. Before the footage was shown, Durham addressed the room by saying there has been a lot of misinformation circulating about the incident, but noting that the press conference was an attempt to maintain transparency – something he said remained one of the highest priorities for the department.

“The RPD understands the concerns and impact this has had on our community,” Durham said. “As many of you know, I have been a champion of transparency since assuming command of the Richmond Police Department.”

As footage played, Durham talked through the scenes depicted, which included video from the Jefferson Hotel, where Peters was a part-time employee. The video showed Peters walking through the hotel without his shirt on before he stops to speak with other employees in a service hallway. He eventually leaves the hotel and gets into his car without any of his clothes, which were later found on Franklin Avenue.

The next clips consisted of traffic camera footage of Peters speeding down Main Street before turning on to Belvidere, where he was eventually spotted by Nytantaki, who followed him on to the interstate where the encounter took place.

The entire encounter between Peters and Nytantaki, according to the footage, clocked in at one minute and 16 seconds. During this time Peters can be seen getting out of his car, running in the direction of traffic, dancing, and exhibiting odd behavior, before being struck by a vehicle on the highway. Nytantaki can he heard speaking to police dispatch over the radio as Peters left his vehicle, saying, “seems to be mentally unstable, as we speak.”

Shooting Timeline

As the encounter unfolds, Peters can be seen getting up and shouting, “I’ve figured it out. I’m living the dream.” He then proceeds to charge the officer who had his taser drawn, saying, “Back the fuck up. Put the taser down or I’ll kill you.”

Shortly after, Nytantaki deployed his taser. Yet according to Durham, only one prong made contact with Peters, rendering it ineffective. From here Nytantaki re-draws his service weapon, discharging two shots into Peters’ abdomen before he eventually tumbles to the ground. A state trooper can be seen shortly afterward asking Nytantaki to “holster your weapon for me”, while police officers arriving at the scene attempted to administer first aid to Peters.

“You see officers there putting on gloves. Whenever we use our force, we are to render aid,” said Durham, responding to a question about additional officers who appeared to be standing around idly.

During the question and answer session, an emotional Durham addressed the mental health aspect of the incident. “I looked at what it would take to become a psychologist, psychiatrist, mental health counselor, five to eight years of training. Our police department gives our officers 40 hours,” he said.

“Folks just want to beat us up without having the facts – that hurts, ladies and gentlemen. It hurts the morale of the men and women in our department, and it hurts me, because I have to stand up here and explain what people don’t understand.”

RPD’s Force Investigative Team is currently leading the investigation with support from the FBI, which is standard procedure for incidents that involve the deadly use of force. Durham would not comment on any aspects of the investigation, only taking questions about the content shown in the video footage at the press conference.

Princess Blanding, the sister of Peters, spoke to the press a short time later, saying, “I am extremely appalled that Chief Durham tried to defend the killing of my brother Marcu Peters. Marcus needed help, not death.” She did not comment on his mental health, only saying that the family had never seen any behavior like that in the video. An event called Demanding Justice for Marcus Peters: A Speak-Out & Mobilization has already been planned and will be taking place at Second Baptist Church, West End tomorrow.

Peters was the 412th person to be shot and killed by law enforcement in the US this year, according to the Washington Post’s Fatal Force tracker. This incident also follows reporting of excessive force against an autistic teen by the RPD earlier this month.

Madelyne Ashworth and Sarah Kerndt contributed to this report. Photo of Chief Durham by Landon Shroder 

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