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Shaun King writes about justice. But he can no longer believe in it.
For two years, the activist and columnist has covered criminal justice—especially police brutality—for the New York Daily News. Those stories, which often end with grand juries declining to indict officers who kill black people, have left King jaded.
"It would rock most nations to their core," he says. "Most developed countries can go a year without police killing their citizens. We mow through people here."
King is coming to Portland to speak on civil rights May 4. Before his trip, he told WW the five cases he's covered that he feels haven't gotten their due on TV news and in the national consciousness.
"None of these families received justice," King says. "And every single one thought they would. I thought they would."
1. Ramarley Graham, New York City
In 2012, a police officer chased 18-year-old Graham into his apartment and fatally shot him in his own bathroom. The officer was indicted, but the charges were dismissed. "His family has fought nonstop for justice," King says. "They witnessed the shooting. It was literally right there in their house."
2. Ezell Ford, Los Angeles
A 25-year-old black man who suffered from mental illness, Ford was fatally shot in the back while handcuffed in 2014 by an officer. Prosecutors did not seek charges. "It was one of those cases where the entire community felt let down by the system," King recalls. "No one lost their job. No one was ever held accountable, and certainly no one was prosecuted."
3. Dillon Taylor, Salt Lake City
Taylor, 20 years old and white, was walking out of a convenience store wearing headphones in 2014 when a police officer investigating a robbery ordered him to stop—then shot him dead. Prosecutors never filed charges. "You can see this on the body camera, and it's just unreal," King says. "You see Dillon dying right there on the sidewalk. And the headphones are in his ears the whole time."
4. Rekia Boyd, Chicago
An off-duty police detective fired five shots into a crowd in 2012, hitting 22-year-old Boyd in the face. The detective was charged with manslaughter, but a judge cleared him of all charges. "Oh, man, that one burns me up even thinking about it," King says. "Rekia was just the sweetest girl."
5. Alton Sterling, Baton Rogue, La.
Sterling's 2016 killing received national attention—but King says the media have overlooked how President Barack Obama left the cases unresolved. The U.S. Department of Justice on May 2 declined to indict the officers involved in Sterling's death. "The family told me very confidently that people in the Justice Department had told them, 'We got it, we're going to close it out, and it's not going to be left up to Jeff Sessions or anybody else,'" King says. "And they didn't. They sure didn't."
GO: The World Affairs Council of Oregon presents Shaun King at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, on Thursday, May 4. 7 pm. $20-$170.