To: Baton Rouge Police Department and Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr.
Demand justice for Alton Sterling
We demand justice for Alton Sterling, the 37-year-old father who was murdered by police officers for selling CDs on a street corner in Baton Rouge. The two police officers involved in killing this innocent Black man must be fired -- not placed on administrative leave -- and the Baton Rouge Chief of Police must resign for upholding a culture of racism.
Why is this important?
Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old Black man and father, was killed last night while selling CDs outside Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was shot several times by white police officers while pinned to the ground.
The U.S. Department of Justice just announced that they'll be leading an independent civil rights investigation into this horrible murder.
But that isn't enough.
The Baton Rouge Police Department has a shameful history of racial profiling. In 2014, the arrest rate for Black residents was more than twice that of white residents. And the department also has a history of failing to hold cops accountable for using force—out of 35 use-of-force complaints investigated in recent years, not one resulted in charges getting filed against the police officer.
This is unacceptable. The Baton Rouge Police Department must take action to address the ongoing violence against Black residents at the hands of police.
The two officers involved in Alton's death should be fired and charged for their role in this murder, and Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. must step down for failing to address a culture of racism within the Baton Rouge Police Department.