Justice for Rekia Boyd: Who’s Rallying for Murdered Black Women?
After word of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s murder spread across social media, many rightly sprang into action to protest his slaying and hold local police accountable for their sloppy investigation. Since that fateful February night, thousands have rallied in his honor in hopes of urging Florida officials to fight for justice for Martin and his family. But lost in the marches, Facebook statuses, and hoodie pictures are scores of murdered black men and women who most will never know their names.
Last week, 22-year-old Rekia Boyd was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer in Chicago.
ABC news reports:
Just after 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, the police union says, an off-duty detective rolled down his car window and asked a group of people gathered near Douglas Park to quiet down. In response, police say, a 39-year-old man pointed a gun at the officer, who drew his own weapon and fired. The bullets hit the alleged gunman in the hand and Rekia Boyd in the head as she stood nearby.
“They said the shooting is justified, but how is it justified when you got a young girl up there with a bullet hole in her head? What kind of justice is that?” said Sutton.
Witnesses told ABC 7 Wednesday that no one pulled a gun on the off-duty officer. And prosecutors only charged the man who police say had a gun with aggravated assault, a misdemeanor.
Although no weapon was recovered from the scene and Cross, the man who police allege approached the off-duty officer with a gun, claims he approached the officer while on a cell phone, police have tentatively ruled the shooting justifiable.
Over the weekend Detroit police discovered a shallow grave which apparently contained two missing women, Ashley Conaway, 22, and Abreeya Brown, 18, who were kidnapped last month. According to police records, the women were kidnapped at gun point in Illinois and forced into a trunk. Brown’s stepfather even told police he exchanged gunfire with the kidnappers in an attempt to save his stepdaughter, but he was unable to stop the men.
Conaway’s former boyfriend, Brandon Cain, and his associate Brian Lee were detained last month for attempted murder charges stemming from the shootout with Brown’s stepfather, but the pair have yet to be charged with the disappearance of the women.
Scenes like this continue to play out across the country with little notice. For every Oscar Grant or Sean Bell or Trayvon Martin, there are many more Rekia Boyds, Aiyana Jones, Ashley Conaways, and Abreeya Browns that go unnoticed. Why?
While we continue to rally for justice for Trayvon Martin, lets not forget the thousands of people who are viciously murdered every year. Justice shouldn’t only be reserved for those whose families and friends are able to get social media to take notice, but for everyone who is a victim of crime.
There are two problems with this article:
1.) There have been protests for Rekia Boyd here in Chicago. There is also a protest for her on Change.org to charge the off duty detective who shot her.
2.) People who are arguing that people who are fighting for Trayvon Martin don’t care about Black on Black crime or violence against black women absolutely baffle me. One thing have absolutely nothing to do with the other. Here in Chicago, there exists Ceasefire and Action Now, two organizations dedicated to stopping violence in the community, and regularly reach out to community members to stop it. The only people who I have seen complaining are the people who are not going out there and busting their asses trying to organize people, but who are expecting others to do all the work.
3.) It also seems like people are waiting for others to pick up the ball and start protesting. If you are genuinely upset and frustrated, why not start organizing your own protests? The reason Trayvon Martin’s case got so big is that people who were angry enough about that particular issue took to the streets. Start organizing yourself.
Point being, police brutality, inner community violence, and violence against women of color are all important, and one struggle shouldn’t be pitted against the other. I feel as if this article is poorly researched and has weak arguments. BTW, I am a Black woman, who has rallied for all kinds of things, from immigrants rights, LGBT rights, political prisoners, and education in Chicago and all over the country.
@Shanna
Your post carries the best message I’ve ever read on this site.
Much respect to you.
100% agree! Excellent response.
Well this comment is full of ferocity and uplift. Couldn’t have said it any better!
Black people should be ashamed of themselves trying to turn the reaction to Trayvon’s murder into a competition. Trayvon’s was dead for a good two weeks before it grabed national attention, and the same media is blaming the child for his own murder. Black people are always divided over silly stuff, innocent murdered black boys vs. innocent murdered black girls, smh. Which is why we haven’t advanced as a community.
Because there is lop sided protection in the black community, it’s been that way since the civil rights era. When we look at racism we only see black man vs. white man not African Americans fighting for equality against white supremecy. Black women marched down the road for equality as the black man. We were beaten, whipped and hung by trees as the black man, we experience racism, sexism etc as the black man. Oh wait but the black man doesn’t have to experience sexism so that’s one extra burden on the black woman. I always said the black woman has no place in the black community nor white society because in either place she’s not protected and underrepresented. Look at the comments under this article. Instead giving comments of understanding there’s insults and people displaying the typical “STFU black woman and take it” mentality all the while making excuses for defending black men. The black man is always told it’s not your fault, it’s not your fault, then he’s coddled and told we’ll fight for you. But the black woman is always told “IT’S YOU” then she’s rejected and told to go at it on her own. Someone made this comparison with the black woman being raped and blamed for the clothes she had on, it’s so true. Yet we can march and wear hoodies and cry racism because a black man was profiled for something he had on, come on that’s unfair. Then these same people want to preac black unity. I can’t with this stuff. Black women are better off fighting for themselves individually because no one has their best interest at heart not even other black women. It’s not about making this a competition it’s about the hypocrisy of our community and the inconsistency within it. We should be helping one another TOGETHER not singling out one group because of what we’ve been taught to act on, it’s sad.
There’s been a holocaust on black women. Black men have been paid by white men to slave black women on street corners in every city in America. Black pimps enslave black women. Their cars, their clothes, their white women have been bought with the blood of black women. The numbers of black women who have died chained up in basements, pimped out at dope parties, sliced up by males of all stripes in clubs, is worthy of any
“Shoah” museum. But its too soon for all that because the holocaust on black girls is not over, it is still going on, and black men are still getting paid for the ongoing enslavement of black women and girls. So be silent about THAT,-and keep talking about what is being done to black MEN, since there’s so much MONEY at stake in ignoring what is happening to black WOMEN.
Tell it, but not to these dummies on this sight who cant go a minute without kissing black male ass. Save your breathe.
Except for one point…white males are not telling black males to do this. They do it on their own, because they HATE Black women and know they have no protection.