On March 29, police in Chicago, Illinois chased 13-year old Adam Toledo down an alley and shot him, killing the unarmed seventh grader as he raised his hands. The recently released body camera footage shows police demanding that the young boy show them his hands. When he does, the cops fired.
This murder comes at a time when demanding justice for police-perpetuated killings is at an all-time high, with the murder trial of Derek Chauvin ongoing in Minneapolis, and the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright by Officer Kim Porter just days ago.
In a press conference on April 2, Toledo's mother, who was not aware her son was killed until two days after the shooting, demanded answers from the Chicago Police Department. "They had a lot of options," she told reporters while visibly emotional, indicating that officers "could have shot him in his legs, his arms…I don't know, but not kill my baby."
The man who killed Toledo, 34-year-old white officer Eric E. Stillman, is currently on administrative assignment, and has yet to be arrested or fired while the shooting is under investigation by Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).
In the wake of yet another officer-involved shooting of an unarmed person of color, there have been more calls to defund the Chicago PD, and instead invest that money into schools and local communities that lack funding. The Chicago Teacher's Union released a statement, saying, "Adam’s murder is tragic–and all too common. Yet on Monday, when Adam’s friends and educators return to their school community, they’ll have no sustained support to deal with their grief and trauma."
Following the release of the footage–which clearly shows Toledo complying with the officer's request to raise his hands–more voices are calling for the arrest of Eric E. Stillman. The Invisible Institute found that Stillman had three complaints four uses of force in his file in the years between 2017 and 2020.
In a news conference, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, "Simply put, we failed Adam."
Here are several ways to demand justice for Adam Toledo.
This petition calls for divesting the CPD, and instead using those resources to invest in drug treatment, mental health services, and homeless services.
The Children First Fund (CFF) matches donations to improve Chicago public schools and offers improved resources to children.
This group is demanding justice for Adam Toledo and other victims of police violence.
The ICHG partnered with the Gun Violence Prevention Education Center to create awareness around the issue, and give training, resources, and gun prevention education.
This charity uses a multi-faceted approach in their effort to reduce gun violence by 80% in five years through outreach, education, counseling, and other measures.
CFS creates youth programs and trainings to educate young people on how to become involved in social change.
Here you can donate to bail funds across the country, including the Chicago Community Bond Fund.
Campaign Zero aims to end police brutality in America.
Demand transparency and justice for victims of police brutality.
This post will be updated if more resources become available.
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