Latasha's Story:
Latasha Walton, described by her brother as having a "heart of gold," was a young, ambitious mother of two, working to better her life, as well as her family's in South Florida. Walton was the primary provider for her children as well as her mother.
On March 12th, 2019, the 32 years old mother of two, Latasha Walton was shot by Florida State Trooper Ronald Melendez-Bonilla. The exact story of that day's events are difficult to discern-- not many news stations have published stories pertaining to it. Florida Law Enforcement claims that Walton was driving erratically and came toward troopers trying to pull her over. It seems as if the trooper pulled over Walton for a traffic infraction, and Walton drove away rather than stopping. The trooper claims that he felt as if his life was in danger, and thus he pulled his weapon, and fired at Walton. A witness of the events caught the exchange on video, a video which shows a very different story. Walton's vehicle was nowhere near the trooper. She was neither armed nor a danger to the police officers, yet they felt the need to fire 6 shots at her car.
“They dropped her for driving erratically. This was not the cause to issue a death sentence.”- Attorney Ben Crump
The trooper, even with the publishing of the days events, continues to claim self defense. The President of the Miami- Dade PBA said "the trooper acted in self-defense because Walton accelerated towards him and he feared for his life."
https://thegrio.com/2019/03/17/family-of-fl-woman-killed-in-broad-daylight-by-trooper-hires-famed-civil-rights-attorney/
The above link provides a video of what transpired that day, and is one of the only news articles reporting about Walton's ordeal at the hands of Florida law enforcement. If one thing becomes clear after viewing the video, it is that a police officer with a fully loaded weapon could not have, in any way, felt threatened by what Walton was doing.
Importance of Latasha's Story:
An unarmed young woman who posed no threat to the police officers involved was shot to death in broad daylight, yet no spotlight has been shone on this case. Her car never hit the troopers, never threatened pedestrians, and never put anyones life in harms way. Latasha's story highlight the absolute disdain that law enforcement has for the lives of women and girls of color.
If you enter "#sayhername," on social media right now, you will see that a movement intended to help spread information about the injustices put upon women of color has been hijacked by white women and people who do not understand the violence that continue to perpetuate in our criminal justice system. Society has become tragically accustomed to state violence put upon people of color, and Latasha's case is no different. An investigation into the events of that day continues, but quite eerily, it seems that this case is drawing parallels with the likes of thousands of women of color who have been silenced, killed and forgotten for decades.
Relevance to Class:
Latasha had to survive in a society which was racist and sexist, thus embodying the double- bind that bell hooks discusses. The double bind is essentially when women of color have to choose between their race and gender in a world that refuses to recognize intersectionality. So aside from racism, Walton also dealt with sexism, and on top of that, the oppression that comes from being a black woman. In a society which refuses to recognize intersectionality, as Kimberle Crenshaw points out, it becomes easier for the state to perpetuate violence if it does not understand oppression.
Further, bell hooks also explains that struggles that black women have with how society perceives them. A society that is inherently and intrinsically racist has characterized black women as strong and angry, as it is not able to discern the mentalities of slavery from the status quo. This makes it that much more difficult for women of color to get out of dangerous situations with police officers, as these officers may interpret innocent, harmless behavior as more violent just because a woman is black.
Patrice Khan- Cullors provides a different, relevant insight as well. As the victim of state violence, and someone who has lived with the stereotypes and oppression of society hoisted on her, Khan- Cullors's story could very well have turned out like Latasha Watson's. Movements like Black Lives Matter are the sole entities fighting for justice, and police forces continuously try to silence them.
What must happen now:
We need radical change. French philosopher Michel Foucault once wrote that the state, particularly the discipline systems of the state, have no purpose other than to kill the weakest members of society. Prison abolition, police abolition, and the disposal of normalized power structures may be the only way to ensure that the future for Women of Color in this country improves.
http://aworldwithoutpolice.org
Historically, police forces were created to protect the property of businesses and the wealthy and enforce white supremacy.
A world without police is an organization aimed at calling out the injustices of the state, and moving towards a non- policed future. The only way to end this kind of violence is to stop its source-- the industrial prison complex.
In the mean time, ending the militarization of police, programs like the 1033 program, and fixing both training and oversight of police officers is th eonly way to ensure that any change occurs.
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