JACL Calls for Justice in Wake of Brutal Slaying of Black 25-Year-Old by Police

On June 27th, Jayland Walker was brutally murdered in Akron, Ohio by eight police officers for a traffic and equipment violation. The JACL is left heartbroken and enraged that yet another case of police brutality has taken place at the expense of a member of the Black community. The hail of gunfire that killed Mr. Walker, in which he was shot over 60 times, was justified by the officers on the scene who claim to have been fearful for their lives and believed Walker was in a firing position. The release of footage from thirteen police body cameras shortly afterward reveals that Walker was, in fact, unarmed at the time of his death. What's abundantly clear from what we know at this time is that Walker was outnumbered and murdered in cold blood for a minor traffic violation.

JACL demands a proper and thorough investigation of this senseless tragedy. We implore the Akron Police Department to investigate all eight officers involved in this crime and that proper justice be served in the homicide of Jayland Walker. While the publication of the body camera footage was important to expose the slaying of Walker, we believe that further steps are required to prevent these horrors from taking place again. JACL reaffirms its stance against police brutality and reiterates its objection to excessive use of force by law enforcement. Tragedies like this continue to occur time and time again, and disproportionately impact underrepresented communities, particularly Black Americans, the hardest. Police violence is an abuse that continues to plague our country, and we ask that it be addressed at the local and federal levels.

Over two years since the murder of Geroge Floyd, Congress has yet to pass significant justice reform whether through the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act or the more comprehensive BREATHE Act. We as a society and as a nation cannot continue to devalue the lives of Black men and allow them to be murdered at the hands of our government on a regular basis.