A Light of Hope for Elijah McClain’s Grieving Family
Tears gathered in our eyes, and our hearts ached when we first heard of Elijah McClain’s unjust death in Colorado in 2019. Today demands a different feeling as we finally see justice for his tragic death.
On August 24, 2019, McClain walked home from the grocery store at 10:32 p.m. after picking up ice tea for his brother. A 911 caller reported that McClain was a “suspicious person” in a black ski mask. When police officers reached McClain, he was neither armed nor committing any crime. Officers then tacked McClain and accused him of reaching for an officer’s gun. The officers put McClain in a carotid hold and called first responders to inject him with ketamine when he resisted arrest. McClain suffered from a heart attack and was pronounced brain dead three days after on the way to the hospital. (More information here.)
Millions saw the bone-chilling police body camera and saw not only the 23-year-old’s painful cries but also a case worth reconducting with careful precision. About 2 million people have signed a petition calling for Colorado government officials to reexamine the circumstances of McClain’s death.
A year later, Aurora City Council concluded that police officials did not have legal grounds to stop and forcefully detain McClain. However, Dave Young, the district attorney on the case in 2019, found no grounds to charge the officers and paramedics. Millions of hearts and hopes were crushed as our dwindling trust in the law began to crumble into nothing. All the protests and petitions suddenly were nonexistent and dismissed. What would have been the end only became fuel for the McClain family and advocates of the BLM movement to assure this injustice won’t happen again.
Two years after McClain’s death, our hopes were strengthened by the news from Attorney General Phil Weiser. The grand jury returned with a 32-count indictment charging officers Nathan Woodyard, Randy Roedema, Jason Rosenblatt, Aurora paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Lieutenant Peter Cichuniec for manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Officers Roedema and Rosenblatt will also face second-degree assault for bodily injury and committing a crime of violence. The paramedics are also charged with second-degree assault for causing bodily harm with ketamine and second-degree assault for unlawful medical treatment.
Attorney General Weiser explains, “We’re here today because Elijah McClain is not here, and he should be.”
People are also taking to Twitter to share their thoughts.
Let’s not blow past this. It took activism, the demand of #ElijahMcClain’s mom, and a media spotlight to even get these ofcrs indicted. 2 years later. And this is just the beginning. The entire Aurora PD needs to be investigated. https://t.co/kGzGeeulWN
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) September 1, 2021
In a world of injustice and cruelty, the murder of Elijah McClain has effected me the most since 2019. May justice be served. #ElijahMcClain #JusticeForElijah pic.twitter.com/Sv915TBR0M
— S.B. (@sbrook) September 1, 2021
May his memory be a revolution.#ElijahMcClain https://t.co/1JNpHQiLp6
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) September 1, 2021
Although the charges will not bring back the bright-eyed Elijah McClain, this is a critical step for government officials to reinstate the freedom and justice the U.S. promised. McClain’s death will not be in vain and instead of an example of the work that continues to be done.
In a world where there is darkness and uncertainty, kindness and justice speak volumes. Let’s not forget the power and privilege some of us hold and use it to lift those alongside us. We should all put in the work for a better world.
Content Writer
