Dear Black Lives Matter Family,
Last weekend Black Lives Matter organizers from Atlanta, Boston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Michigan, and Tampa, members of Global leadership, media personality Eva Marcille, comrades from ally groups, and members of the Tampa community, convened alongside dozens of the families of those killed by police in the name of #AndrewJosephIII.
Andrew was just 14-years-old when he was profiled and killed by the actions of Hillsborough County sheriffs in Tampa, Florida on February 7, 2014, as he was attending "Student Day" at the Florida State Fair. Andrew was snatched up and stripped search by police; although he had done absolutely nothing wrong. He and 98 other Black children were placed in a paddy wagon, driven 2 miles away, and abandoned on the side of a busy interstate.
Families were not notified and the children were left to fend for themselves. As Andrew attempted to cross the highway, he was struck and killed by a white motorist, who was never even breathalyzed for alcohol.
In fact, no one has been held accountable for Andrew's death. Eight years later, Andrew's family still has not had a day in court because the officers involved are protected by an unjust legal doctrine called qualified immunity. Qualified immunity is a special set of rights that exclusively protects police from having to answer for their actions.
This is wrong! Police should have extra accountability, not extra rights!
We can change this! With your help, we can tell Congress to #EndQualifiedImmunity...and we're doing just that.
In a few weeks, Black Lives Matter, Eva Marcille, and as many friends as we can call on are going to Washington! We are going to deliver a petition to #EndQualifiedImmunity once and for all and advocate for the passage of a Bill to do so. We need you to lend your voice!
Sign and share the petition to #EndQualifiedImmunity. This is an easy and important step. Every signature holds weight and means that another person is standing with us.
Want to do more?
Donate to the Andrew Joseph Foundation, a family-led effort to get justice in Andrew's name. Together, we will win this. We will end qualified immunity and we will build a world that is safe for our children and our people.
In Love and Justice,
Deanna Hardy Joseph and Andrew Joseph, Jr.
-Parents of Andrew Joseph III
and the entire team at Black Lives Matter
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