06/25/2020
Elijah McClain was a 23-year old massage therapist who spent his lunch breaks at local animal shelters, playing his violin and guitar for cats and dogs because he believed music would help soothe their anxiety.
Last year, Elijah was walking back to his home from the local convenience store, where he'd gone to pick up an Iced Tea for his brother. He was wearing the ski-mask he often wore to stay warm. Someone walking by called the police, reporting Elijah as a "suspicious person" and noting that no one was in danger. .
When the police arrived, they tackled Elijah to the ground and applied a now-banned "carotid control hold"-- a stranglehold which slows or stops the flow of blood to the brain; and his 140-pound body was injected with an excessive dose of ketamine -- a sedative intended for a 220-pound person. .
Elijah suffered two heart attacks on the way to the hospital, and died days later after being declared brain dead. .
The full footage of the body camera recordings are not available, because each of the officers contend their body cameras fell off during the 15-minute incident. However, during the viable part of the footage, one officer noticed that another officer's body camera was directed at him and told that officer to "Move your camera, dude." An officer can also be heard stating that Elijah had done nothing illegal prior to his arrest. .
All of the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing and were returned to active duty. .
All lives will not matter until Black Lives Matter. Elijah matters. .
Please call or email Mayor Mike Coffman, Governor Jared Polis and District Attorney Dave Young and demand that these officers are fired and brought to justice. .
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