South Central LA:
Defiant Protests Demand Justice for Police Murder of Ezell Ford
August 18, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a reader:
August 15—As Ferguson, Missouri, erupted in another night of righteous rebellion, people marched for hours through South Central Los Angeles for a second day, demanding justice for the murder of Ezell Ford, a 25-year-old Black man with mental illness who was shot down August 11 by LAPD’s notorious Newton Division. At the front of the Newton station, which was lined by cops, protesters shouted “Hands up, don’t shoot.” Nine days before Ezell Ford’s murder and just four blocks away, Newton Division police beat to death 37-year-old Omar Abrego.
Photo: Special to Revolution
Ezell Ford was walking down the street in his own neighborhood. Everybody, including the police, knew Ezell was mentally challenged. People who saw what happened say the cops stopped, jumped out of the car, grabbed and beat Ezell, pinned him face down on the ground with a knee—and then shot him in the back three times. They handcuffed him and left him lying in the street for 20-30 minutes to die, before even calling an ambulance. When his mom came to try to find out what had happened, she was pushed to the ground. Ezell Ford was declared dead at the hospital. People in the neighborhood are very angry, saying things like, “Ezell never did anything wrong, he didn’t carry a weapon, he didn’t deserve this.” “They killed him like his life didn’t matter.”
Volunteers Needed... for revcom.us and Revolution
If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.