9 Black Moms That Couldn’t Celebrate Mother's Day Because Their Family Members Were Killed By Law Enforcement

Mother's Day is a time for celebrating not only the women who gave birth to us but the women who have been instrumental in our upbringing. However, due to police and vigilante murders, the way that some mothers participated in the special occasion this year was forever altered. Dominika Stanley and Mertilla Jones Dominika Stanley is the mother of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, who while sleeping at her grandmother Mertilla Jones’ home, was murdered by Detroit police during a raid conducted by their Special Response Team. Joseph Weekley, the officer who killed Jones, claimed that her grandmother reached for his gun, causing the bullet to mistakenly strike and kill the seven-year-old. It is important to acknowledge both women, as they were each instrumental in Jones’ life. During the trial Jones’ grandmother stated, "You killed her. You tried to blame me. You know I never touched you, Mr. Weekley… You know you wrong." Both of these women never received justice, as the Weekley case was declared a mistrial twice. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) Esaw Garner The world witnessed the murder of Eric Garner, 43, via cellphone video footage, and observed Garner tell the New York police, “I can’t breathe" as officers held him in a chokehold. Although Garner's death angered communities both domestic and foreign to the point of protest, we cannot begin to understand the pain that Garner’s wife and mother of his children, Esaw Garner, feels, particularly because officers involved in the case were not charged. As Garner celebrated Mother's Day, one could only imagine the thoughts that crossed her mind in remembering her late husband and father of her children. Wanda Johnson On January 1 2009, Oscar Grant III, 22, son of Wanda Johnson, was murdered by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer, Johannes Mehserle. Like Garner, Grant's murder was also captured on video. Grant was unarmed and restrained when he was shot. In 2013, Fruitvale Station, a biopic about the death of Grant starring Michael B. Jordan, was released. In a letter written to the family of another young, Black, unarmed man, Michael Brown, Johnson said, "I have not seen a single sunrise or bouquet of roses that warmed my heart as much as my son’s smile." Johnson actively seeks justice for slain unarmed Black children. REUTERS/Bob Mack/Florida Times-Union/Pool Lucia Bath November 2012 Jordan Davis, 17, son of Lucia Bath, was shot and killed at a gas station by vigilante, Michael Dunn, 45, for listening to his music loudly with friends. Although Dunn was later sentenced to life in prison, the battle is not over for Bath. She is currently working with her family to help end the cycle of police and vigilante murders of Black youth like her son. Angela Helton March 2012 Rekia Boyd, 22, daughter of Angela Helton, was shot in the back of the head by off-duty police officer, Dante Servin. Resembling the stories of other young Blacks murdered by the police, Boyd was unarmed with her back turned to the officer. Recently, Servin was cleared of all charges. “Any police officer especially would have reacted in the exact same way I reacted,” he stated. “I’m glad to be alive. I saved my life that night.” Helton, however, has to live with knowing that the man who murdered her daughter feels no remorse. Helton says, “They just found this man not guilty on all counts, and he blew my daughter’s brains out in the alley.” Boyd's death has raised awareness about the intersectionality of police abuse as it pertains to sex, adding increased depth to the "Black Lives Matter" mantra. Tressa Sherrod In August 2014, John Crawford, 22, son of Tressa Sherrod, holding an unloaded BB rifle was murdered by police in Ohio. Sherrod states: I miss him saying ‘mom’; I miss his phone calls and his text messages; I miss coming home and seeing that he ate all my food. There’s a lot of little things I miss about him. I miss his smile. I miss hearing his voice. Although surveillance footage depicted the appalling circumstances under which Crawford was gunned down, a grand jury failed to bring charges against the officers evolved. 'I'm so upset about it. I don't understand why no charges have been brought'said Sherrod in an interview with the Guardian. Lesley McFadden In August 2014, Michael Brown, 18, son of Lesley McFadden, was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer, Darren Wilson. Brown was unarmed. Four and a half hours passed before Brown's body was removed from the street, sparking outrage among Black residents in Ferguson and days of riots and protesting. Wilson was not indicted. Internationally, people were angry and led several marches and protests. Community activists and organizers wanted to make it clear that this was an issue of race, and that Black people are murdered by the hands of police officers almost daily. Following Brown's murder, organizations against police brutality and murders against Black people were formed, and the mantra, "Black Lives Matter," was popularized. Samaria Rice In November 2014, Tamir Rice, son of Samaria Rice, was murdered within 1.7 seconds by Ohio Police after arriving for playing with a toy gun. In a recent CNN interview Rice's mother says, "They never even gave him a chance." Last week, about 170 days after the 12-year-old was shot, Rice's mother and her legal team publicly asked how long it would take to finish the investigation into her son's death, "Less than a second and my son is gone, and I want to know how long I got to wait for justice?" she asked. Tanya Brown-Dickerson Brandon Tate-Brown was murdered in his vehicle by Philadelphia police in December 2014. His mother, Tanya Brown-Dickerson, says that evidence was planted to make it appear that he was reaching for a gun. The case began suspiciously when not even Brown-Dickerson was made aware of who shot her son. Even after she demanded to see the footage captured of the murder, the Philadelphia Police refused to show the tape. Tate-Brown’s family eventually saw the video and disagree with the version of events being offered by Philadelphia police. Tate-Brown’s mother, along with the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice and others, continuously fight to spread the word about her son and the nature of his death. “I do believe my son died unnecessarily. And driving while Black,” she said.

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