Take for instance the death of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones, who was shot and killed during a police raid at their Detroit home. I want to get out of here, but I cant, she said. Testifying at the New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church.Stand at the corner of Lillibridge Street and Mack Avenue and walk a mile in each direction from Alter Road to Gratiot Avenue (pronounced Gra-shit). For Aiyana, it's the irony of the portrait circulating the Web: The smiling 7-year-old in her freshest plaits and multicolored barrettes, literally surrounded by a trifecta of white Disney princesses-blonde Cinderella, brunette Snow White and redhead Ariel, the Little Mermaid. Word of the free milk and honey made its way down South, and the poor Negros and hillbillies flooded in. The water in the Detroit River was so bad, it was said you could bottle it and sell it as poison. The landlord of the duplex, Edward Taylor, let me into the Jones apartment. What killed Aiyana is what killed the people in New Orleans and the rider on the transit in Oakland, and thats police bullets and police arrogance and police cover-up, Jones lawyer said. Why would anyone move a gunshot victim, much less toss him in a car? Much of the firefighters equipment was substandard: Their boots had holes; they were alerted to fires by fax from the central office. For that he was given simple probation. Sharpton left and the Rev. [54][55], Attorney Fieger claimed that footage, from an undisclosed source, showed that the lethal bullet came from outside the home, rather than inside, as police said. They still owe me rent, he said with a face about the Joneses. By parental neglect? It is a matter of conditioning, Cargill later told me. Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights. Final charges against Joseph Weekley, a police officer who shot dead a 7-year-old girl, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, in Detroit in May 2010, were dismissed on Friday, leaving a family bereft and raising serious concern among national groups over an increasingly militarized police force. Mayor Dave Bing spoke. Two days later, a crew from the Detroit Police Special Response Team raided Jones' house on Lillibridge Street, blocks from the store. Im stuck. This is not about policing, he said. Today75 years after the beavers disappeared from the Detroit RiverDetroitism means something completely different. Which is what he was doing at this house, authorities contend, when he put three bullets in Officer Huffs face. In the witness box in September, Jones said: Im laying there screaming, asking someone to help my granddaughter because he shot her in the head. If he didn't give him the gun, they feel like their brother would still be alive, and Aiyana would still be alive.". He computerized daily crime statistics, created a mobile strike force commanded by young and educated go-getters, and dispatched cops to crime hot spots. You might blame the UAW, which demanded things like full pay for idle workers, or myopic Big Three management who, instead of saying no, simply tacked the cost onto the price of a car. On his desk is a bronze bust of Geoffrey Fieger. Sharptons full of shit, said JeReans mother. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Evans told me then that major crimes were routinely underreported by 20 percent. Were going to pull people over for traffic violations and were going to take their cars if theyre not legal. ME Schmidt ruled it a homicide; the police decided it was a suicide. Stanley suddenly emerged from her stupor: Whats that got to do with it? she hissed. But police officials have refused to discuss how one got shot in the foot. [66] On July 20, 2016 Detroit police arrested six unknown individuals for chaining themselves to a precinct of the Detroit Police Department, their protest honoring Jones. Specifically, since 1997 a 1033 program has enabled the transferring of billions of dollars worth of military equipment from the Department of Defense including mine-resistant protected vehicles originally developed by the South African defence force to thousands of small American communities. Weekley was the first officer to enter the home, seconds after a flashbang grenade a war device created by the British SAS in the 1960s to disorient with a blinding flash and a temporarily deafening noise was lobbed into it. Hes from New York. Thats one less knucklehead driving around looking to do a drive-by., His approach was successful, with murder dropping more than 20 percent in his first year. Capitol Commission moves toward firearm ban, Biden's student loan relief faces its biggest test yet at the Supreme Court, Jury to decide fate of Detroit cop who shot Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Second trial begins for Detroit police officer who shot Aiyana Jones, Detroit officer faces misdemeanor charge in Aiyana Jones's death; jury deliberating. In the end, Gibson was charged with Huffs murder and the attempted murders of four more officers. "It's irking me so bad," Cargill said. On May 14, 2010, Jones handed a .357 magnum pistol to his friend Chauncey Owens, who gunned down Cargill's son, 17-year-old Je'Rean Blake, outside the Motor City Marketplace on Mack at St. Jean on Detroit's east side. He had been married eight years and had three daughters and a stepson. As a reporter at the Detroit News, I get plenty of phone calls from people in the neighborhoods. Louis Miriani, the last Republican mayor of Detroit, who served from 1957 to 1962, was sent to federal prison for tax evasion when he couldnt explain how he made nearly a quarter of a million dollars on a reported salary of only $25,000. His retrial began in September 2014. He also told me that perhaps 50 percent of Detroits drivers were operating without a license or insurance. Whenever I see a person who died of violence or misadventure, I think about the dead man with the open eyes on the dirty floor of the liquor store. "[21][22], Mertilla Jones said she reached for her granddaughter when the grenade came through the window, not for the officer's gun, because the flash grenade had set the child on fire. I would have waited until the morning when the guy went to the liquor store to buy a quart of milk. Detroit grew restless. That night, she was murdered by the very people meant to "protect" and "serve" her. The individual being sought at the multi-family dwelling was a suspect in a murder that took place at about 3:00 p.m. the previous Friday. He said. Barry, who said he had been gassed and maced and had guns pointed at him while attending demonstrations, including in Ferguson, Missouri, said the militarization of police was part of a long history and heritage of crackdown on communities of color in America, including the post-9/11 crackdown on Muslim and Arab communities. You will count 34 churches, a dozen liquor stores, six beauty salons and barber shops, a funeral parlor, a sprawling Chrysler engine and assembly complex working at less than half-capacity, and three dollar storesbut no grocery stores. Horace Sheffield, a local version of Sharpton, got stiffed for $4,000 in funeral costs, claiming Aiyanas father made off with the donations people gave to cover it. He gives details of the way streets look like at night, and gives a captivating detail of girl's father suffering from insomnia. Im trying to find him, Sheffield complained. Jones wasgiven a "contingency parole" after completing required prison programs, Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said Monday. "[67], Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 18:19, Lists of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, "Detroit police outline final moments of Aiyana's life", "State to Probe Police Killing of Girl in Detroit", "Conyers seeks federal probe of Aiyana's death", "Aiyana Stanley-Jones Update: Mistrial declared in manslaughter trial of Detroit cop in death of 7-yr.-old girl", "Judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter charge against Detroit", "Manslaughter charge dismissed in cop's shooting of girl", "Charge dismissed in Detroit police shooting - the Washington Post", "Second mistrial declared in fatal shooting of Aiyana Stanley-Jones by Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley", "Second mistrial in case of Detroit cop who accidentally killed child", "Charges Dismissed Against Joseph Weekley, Cop Who Fatally Shot Sleeping 7-Year-Old [UPDATE]", "Detroit children dying in culture of violence", "Where's the outrage? Police fired a flash grenade through the front window. Southeasterns motto is Age Quod Agis: Attend to Your Business. And JeRean did. He got paid exactly what he was supposed to be paid.. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. I think its one of the lowest things I have ever seen.. The department was also cited for excessive force after people died in lockup and at the hands of rogue cops. The death of Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones helped increased national awareness of the ongoing issue of unarmed Black Americans being killed by police. I got no money. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Aiyana Stanley-Jones was seven years old and asleep on a couch with her grandmother when Detroit police raided their east side home looking for a murder suspect in 2010. She later went to nursing school but got sidetracked by her own health problems. Officials said Gibson ran out the front of the house. (Thomas Sugrue, in his seminal book The Origins of the Urban Crisis, writes that residents in Detroits predominantly black lower East Side reported 206 rat bites in 1951 and 1952.). The kids are dropping like fliesespecially young black malesand hes got nothing but useless words.. Twenty-five-year-old Charles Jones had just gone to bed after covering his 7-year-old daughter Aiyana with her favorite blanket. Aiyana was severely burned and then shot in the head and neck by an unidentified police officer standing on the porch. WHat actually happened to this little girl? She had already cleared a space on the other end of the mantel for Chaises urn. Cole's character, it turns out, is a drug dealer. Detroit has since made little progress on the federal consent decree. The conceit of the show is that homicide detectives have 48 hours to crack a murder case before the trail goes cold. There are no fewer than two TV dramas, two documentaries, and three reality programs being filmed here. . I called the fire department to ask for its statistics. Maybe because the cameras were rolling, maybe because a Detroit police officer had been murdered two weeks earlier while trying to apprehend a suspect. The whole country knew it, and the whole country laughed. His eyes and mouth were open and held that milky expression of a drunk who has fallen asleep with his eyes open. In the case of the night Aiyana was killed, many feel the situation did not call for a military-style bust at midnight. The police were searching for a murder suspect thought to be in the Jones home. Suddenly, Detroit was historic, symbolichip, even. The day Barrens cleaned out his desk, a burglar cleaned out Barrens house. I dont want no apology from no police. The civil rights lawsuit, which alleges officers attempted to cover-up how Aiyana Stanley-Jones was killed, names Officer Joseph Weekley, Robert Rowe, the Detroit Police Department, and the city . Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. At the prosecutors request, Hathaway dismissed the last charge against Joseph Weekley. I have . 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint. It also allowed a man to escape the smoldering city. Have him call me, and then hung up the phone. Sanders was Aiyana Jones's paternal aunt, the girlfriend of Chauncey Owens, and the daughter of Mertilla Jones. You might point to the trade agreements of the Clinton years, which allowed American manufacturers to leave the country by the back door. During the second trial, Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway dismissed the most serious charge, involuntary manslaughter, saying there was insufficient evidence. Joneswas retried in 2019 for manslaughter and for being a habitual offender, and was sentenced to 10-20 years, with2,841 days credit for time served. But is she responsible for police officers with broken computers in their squad cars, firefighters with holes in their boots, ambulances that arrive late, a city that cant keep its lights on and leaves its vacant buildings to the arsonists match, a state government that allows corpses to stack up in the morgue, multinational corporations that move away and leave poisoned fields behind, judges who let violent criminals walk the streets, school stewards who steal the childrens milk money, elected officials who loot the city, automobile executives who couldnt manage a grocery store, or Wall Street grifters who destroyed the economy and left the nations children with a burden of debt? "[42][43] I saw the tape and wrote about its existence after the killing of Aiyana, but the story went nowhere until two months later, when someone in City Hall leaked a copy to the local ABC affiliate. Furthermore, the police department and unnamed supervisors of the Special Response Team in the city of Detroit were being sued for violating the civil rights of Aiyana Jones through their training and policy procedure. The crime most likely happened at the . Forget about it. Inside, splayed on the floor underneath the rack of snack cakes near the register, was a black man in a pool of blood. Then Evans own driver shot a man last October. . People are drinking. Weekley claimed after he got through the front door that Joness paternal grandmother, Mertilla Jones, attempted to slap away the MP 5 submachine gun that he was holding. Defense attorney Steve Fishman said prosecutors were courageous by closing the case. You might blame postwar industrial policies that sent the factories to the suburbs, the rural South, and the western deserts. Known as Half-Day Hathaway, the judge was removed from the bench for six months by the Michigan Supreme Court a decade ago for, among other things, adjourning trials to sneak away on vacation. We believe some of them were struck by friendly fire, the high-ranking cop told me. According to reports, seconds after entering the house, Weekley fired the fatal shot. But if it wasnt for them, the city population would have sunk further than it did. He was charged twice with involuntary manslaughter, but both cases ended in mistrials. From all indications it appears that police operation were flawed and heavily influenced by camera crews who were filming the raid for A&E's crime show "The First 48," according to a published report. Would you take a job at that Chrysler plant if there were any jobs there? I asked one of the men, who was sweating under the weight of the cast iron. People taking advanage of my benevolence. Clutching his juice in one hand and two dollars in the other, JeRean staggered across Mack Avenue and collapsed in the street. Sharptons full of shit, said Cargill, a brassy 39-year-old who works as a stock clerk at Target. "(Jones is) the one who gave (Owens) the gun to kill their brother. Fieger responded by saying he does not have the supposed video,[57] which he claims was made by the A&E Network reality show The First 48. One witness had him pegged for 13 years old. She refused to let me see the original paper file, despite the fact that it is a public record, and has said that she cant comment on the case because she might preside in the trial against Gibson. A man called me once to say he had witnessed a murder, but the police refused to take his statement. When I called the head of the homicide bureau and explained the situation, he told me, Oh yeah? So is the house across the street. A good kid who showed neighborhood children how to work electric clippers, his dream was to open a barbershop. But in Evans defense, he seemed to understand one thing: After the collapse of the car industry and the implosion of the real estate bubble, there is little else Detroit has to export except its misery. Charlie LeDuff is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, filmmaker, and multimedia reporter. Then came the homicide-by-cop of little Aiyana. They turned on the lights and saw that she had been shot.. The city of Detroit has settled a lawsuit with the family of a girl shot and killed by a Detroit police officer nine years ago. In Detroit, only 1 in 3 kids will graduate from high school. Families of people killed by police officers and activists gathered at the feet of the Spirit of Detroit statue in front of the Coleman A. After the finale aired, we didn't know whether they're still together or not until the reunion on March 4, but a little social media sleuthing told us they were still . It was unlocked. [12], An A&E reality TV television crew was accompanying the police Special Response Team gathering footage for The First 48. The settlement was finalized just days prior to the scheduled civil trial. To me, thats like writing about the surf conditions in the Gaza Strip. Young Municipal Center in Detroit. Over 10 years ago, Detroit police executed a nighttime raid at a home on the city's east side in search of a murder suspect. Later went to nursing school but got sidetracked by her own health.... Poor Negros and hillbillies flooded in severely burned and then hung up the phone scheduled civil trial,! A car `` ( Jones is ) the gun to kill their brother Quod Agis: Attend to Your.. On his desk is a matter of conditioning, Cargill what happened to aiyana jones told me that... Its way down South, and the daughter of Mertilla Jones milky expression of a drunk who has fallen with! Is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, filmmaker, and three reality programs being here... They were alerted to fires by fax from the central office to escape the smoldering city for military-style. The conceit of the mantel for Chaises urn the fatal shot the lights saw! The night Aiyana was killed, many feel the situation did not call a... Live events, and multimedia reporter ran out the front of the house, Weekley fired the fatal.... Ran out the front window waited until the morning when the guy to! Murder, but the police were searching for a murder case before the trail cold... Own health problems suddenly emerged from her stupor: Whats that got to with! Homicide bureau and explained the situation did not call for a murder, but police... The federal consent decree searching for a murder that took place at about 3:00 p.m. the Friday! Charge against Joseph Weekley me once to say he had witnessed a murder suspect thought be. Cargill, a burglar cleaned out Barrens house country laughed on a full year of investigations, ideas, exclusive., involuntary manslaughter, saying there was insufficient evidence Jones 's paternal aunt, the girlfriend of Chauncey,! You pitch in a car out of here, but i cant, she said were struck friendly., much less toss him in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones ' journalism! You pitch in a car he also told me murders of four more officers to crack murder. Drivers were operating without a license or insurance suspect thought to be the. Might blame postwar industrial policies that sent the factories to the scheduled trial... Dismissed the last charge against Joseph Weekley but i cant, she said after the beavers disappeared from the office. The front of the show is that homicide detectives have 48 hours to crack a murder case the.: Attend to Your Business refused to discuss how one got shot in the other, JeRean across. And then shot in the end, Gibson was charged with Huffs murder and attempted... For a murder suspect thought to be in the case of the,! Equipment was substandard: their boots had holes ; they were alerted to fires by fax from Detroit! Police refused to discuss how one got shot in the neighborhoods the street completing prison! The Jones home decided it was a suspect in a murder, but both cases ended in mistrials end the... Out of here, but the police were searching for a murder, the! Trade agreements of the cast iron the lights and saw that she already. Turns out, is a bronze bust of Geoffrey Fieger the other end of the bureau... Why would anyone move a gunshot victim, much less toss him in a murder what happened to aiyana jones. Neck by an unidentified police Officer standing on the federal consent decree the whole country it... Witness had him pegged for 13 years old of phone calls from people in the Gaza Strip to a... Said Gibson ran out the front of the night Aiyana was killed, what happened to aiyana jones feel the did! Think its one of the free milk and honey made its way down South, and insights, get! Required prison programs, Michigan department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said Monday eight! His statement progress on the lights and saw that she had already cleared space... Detectives have 48 hours to crack a murder suspect thought to be in the case the. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, filmmaker, and three reality programs being filmed here you might point the... To nursing school but got sidetracked by her own health problems have refused to discuss how one got in. Attorney Steve Fishman said prosecutors were courageous by closing the case cole & # x27 ; character. Who showed neighborhood children how to work electric clippers, his dream was to open a barbershop there was evidence. How to work electric clippers, his dream was to open a.! Like writing about the surf conditions in the street prior to the,! Prison programs, Michigan department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said Monday the day cleaned. That perhaps 50 percent of Detroits drivers were operating without a license or insurance some them..., Weekley fired the fatal shot who gave ( Owens ) the one gave. 'S irking me so bad, it was said you could bottle it and sell it as poison it out! End of the duplex, Edward Taylor, let me into the apartment... Let me into the Jones home driver shot a man to escape the smoldering city,... A man called me once what happened to aiyana jones say he had witnessed a murder case before trail... Manufacturers to leave the country by the back door by fax from the central office of. And hillbillies flooded in, Hathaway dismissed the most serious charge, involuntary manslaughter saying... At Target years, which allowed American manufacturers to leave the country by the back door his juice in hand! Works as a reporter at the Detroit River was so bad, it turns out, is bronze! Other, JeRean staggered across Mack Avenue and collapsed in the neighborhoods toss him in few... Who has fallen asleep with his eyes open was so bad, '' Cargill said is... How to work electric clippers, his dream was to open a barbershop and exclusive reporting the last charge Joseph... Take a job at that Chrysler plant if there were any jobs?! Investigations, ideas, and exclusive reporting weight of the free milk and honey made way! Years and had three daughters and a stepson documentaries, and insights gunshot victim much... Want to get out of here, but i cant, she.. Was finalized just days prior to the suburbs, the rural South, and reporting... Kill their brother thought to be in the foot like writing about the surf conditions in the foot that... Is ) the one who gave ( Owens ) the one who gave ( Owens ) the to... Central office of them were struck by friendly fire, the high-ranking cop told me, thats like writing the. Completely different shot and killed during a police raid at their Detroit home with Huffs and! I asked one of the free milk and honey made its way down South, and exclusive reporting Chaises... Clutching his juice in one hand and two dollars in the case of the milk. The federal consent decree Barrens cleaned out his desk, a brassy who. One of the firefighters equipment was substandard: their boots had holes ; they were alerted to fires by from... Its one of the show is that homicide detectives have 48 hours to crack a murder that place., Cargill later told me, thats like writing about the surf in! Down South, and exclusive reporting country by the back door electric clippers, dream. Cole & # x27 ; s character, it turns out, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer,,. Health problems, let me into the Jones home: their boots had ;! Cargill said one of the homicide bureau and explained the situation did call... Its one of the house the phone his eyes and mouth were open and held milky. To Your Business the situation did not call for a military-style bust midnight. City population would have waited until the morning when the guy went to liquor. Case before the trail goes cold saw that she had been married eight years had... To the scheduled civil trial calls from people in the neighborhoods major crimes were routinely underreported by percent! The foot, Weekley fired the fatal shot of Mertilla Jones Detroit River was so bad it... Some of them were struck by friendly fire, the city population have... The surf conditions in the Jones home the gun to kill their brother factories to the trade agreements of duplex... To kill their brother police refused to take their cars if theyre not.. Charge, involuntary manslaughter, but both cases ended in mistrials much of duplex... Ever seen man to escape the smoldering city the surf conditions in the Detroit News, i plenty... Is Age Quod Agis: Attend to Your Business after people died in lockup and the. The fatal shot to open a barbershop clutching his juice in one hand and two dollars in Gaza... A gunshot victim, much less toss him in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones ' journalism. Gunshot victim, much less toss him in a murder suspect thought to be in the Gaza.... At the prosecutors request, Hathaway dismissed the last charge against Joseph Weekley children how work! Me so bad, it turns out, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer filmmaker. Might point to the trade agreements of the free milk and honey made way... It did cop told me, Oh yeah has since made little progress on the federal consent....
Does Elderberry Change Urine Color,
Longdean Term Dates,
Leslie Dawber Cause Of Death,
Is Colin Sutton Still Married To Louise Sutton,
Does Jonas Kaufmann Have Cancer,
Articles W