Who is She'Kierrah?
Unfortunately, there are so many victims of state violence as well as domestic violence in America that their names are often erased from common knowledge. A victim of state violence that is important to highlight today is She’Kierrah Adams. She’Kierrah was an 18-year-old mother, daughter, and friend from Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania. She’Kierrah was found dead in her home, alongside her killer who had killed himself and injured 11-month-old son. According to coverage by ABC 13, the event transpired on April 20th, 2019. The murderer, Raquill Holland, was her significant other who is said to have shot both Adams and the young child, eventually killing himself. The couple was found dead by a family member who came to check on them in their apartment. Fortunately, the child is recovering from two gunshot wounds, both to the torso and the leg.
Why is this important?
The reason that this story is important and deserves to be discussed is the past relationship of both Adams and Holland. According to the article written by ABC 13, the police of Sharon Hill had previously visited the home of the victim and her killer in October of 2018 because of a domestic dispute. Although there is no more information regarding the October incident, the police did interview family and friends following the murders, learning that there were “domestic problems where he has threatened her in the past,” according to Chief Herron.
This information is shocking because the police had already had the opportunity to intervene once before. In situations of domestic violence, it is impossible to place blame or responsibility on the survivor or victim of the violence, because of the complex and often disturbing details of the issues. The party who does have responsibility for the outcome, however, is the police. Had they conducted a thorough investigation of the situations of the home previously, this incident might have been prevented. For instance, had family and friends been interviewed following the dispute in October, the police might have learned of the severity of the event and been able to provide ample support and resources to Adams and her child.
However, law enforcement is not always helpful in situations of domestic violence or abuse. According to Victoria Law, a writer for the Jacobin Magazine, "relying on state violence to curb domestic violence only ends up harming the most marginalized women” (Law). Communities of color are often not taken seriously with their claims of domestic violence, and that is if they report or call for help. Many women of color find themselves in a specific struggle, described by bell hooks in Ain’t I a Woman as a “double bind.” This concept identifies the struggle to exist in a space doubly marginalized, fighting for rights in one space that might impact the way they were fighting for rights in another. hooks acknowledge the struggle during the fight for voting rights, articulating the problems black women faced wanting to ensure black men received the right to vote, while also supporting equality for women in their own suffrage. This concept exists outside of the right to vote in various other struggles between sexism and racism today. For instance, black women are constantly at odds with the patriarchy that marginalizes them as women, but also the racist structures that oppress their communities as a whole. Kimberle Crenshaw argues in “Mapping the Margins” that this is primarily true in instances of domestic violence or sexual assault. Black women must decide whether to call the police for assistance in a domestic dispute for their own support, but risk damaging their community by villainizing the perpetrator of violence who could also be a person of color. Calling for help could also mean contributing to further violence of the perpetrator by responders of law enforcement, and even endangering the victim if the police are violent as well.
In her article, Law describes an experience of Cherie Williams in Bronx, NY who called to police on her abusive boyfriend. When the police did not exit their vehicle (not abiding to the VAWA which required the police officers to make an arrest), Williams demanded the badge numbers of the officers at the scene. In response, the police handcuffed her, beat her, ruptured her spleen and breaking her nose and jaw, and left her in a deserted parking lot. Already a victim of violence from her partner, Cherie Williams was further abused by the system dedicated to “protect and serve.” This phenomenon that encourages involving the law to punish and incarcerate perpetuators of crime and violence is referred to as “carceral feminism.” Law states that it “ignores the ways in which race, class, gender identity, and immigration status leave certain women more vulnerable to violence and that greater criminalization often places these same women at risk of state violence.”
What needs to be done?
Although Adams was not physically assaulted by the police, her violent death could have been prevented. This lack of attention to the victim and the details surrounding her experience led to the “peaceful violence” of ignoring her situation and eventually, her tragic death. We as observers to this experience cannot make the claim that She’Kierrah should have left her partner in response to this violence, or that she should have called for help sooner. Those who experience domestic violence or sexual assault should be listened to, believed in their experiences, and supported by those around them. Because of this, the police involved in her event, the one in October and the tragic death in April, should have been more involved, not necessarily to arrest or pursue a responsible party, but to support She’Kierrah Adams and her child by providing resources and information to the best of their abilities. Police and those aware of domestic violence should be active bystanders, identifying the unhealthy situation for those involved, and remaining a strong system of listening, believing, and supporting survivors in all instances.
In addition, promoting the support of communities over the incarceration of perpetrators of violence is important to alleviating these issues. Because of understanding that the system of mass incarceration targets communities of color specifically, there is research that highlights other options for those experiences violence in the home. For instance, Law identifies various organizations such as INCITE!, Creative Interventions, the StoryTelling and Organizing Project, and “The Revolution Starts at Home,” that have created programs and solutions to the violence, providing support for survivors at home, in their cities or towns, without relying on the criminal justice system that may or may not help the situation. By creating unique groupings of support, survivors of violence can receive the help they need without harming themselves or their communities by involving the law. According to Law,
"By relying solely on a criminalized response, carceral feminism fails to address these social and economic inequities, let alone advocate for policies that ensure women are not economically dependent on abusive partners. Carceral feminism fails to address the myriad forms of violence faced by women, including police violence and mass incarceration. It fails to address factors that exacerbate abuse, such as male entitlement, economic inequality, the lack of safe and affordable housing, and the absence of other resources (Law)."
Very little could be found about She'Kierrah Adams or her life prior to the event. Although she was only 18 years old, she died protecting her 11-month-old son Raquill Holland Jr. who is now under the care of Children and Youth Services, in search of surviving family members to care for him. Even after her death, there was not much to be found about Adams. There was no formal obituary written, and her celebration of life was only discussed on one source.
Sources
Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color.” Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, 1991, p. 1241., doi:10.2307/1229039.
Hooks, Bell. Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism. Routledge, 2015.
Law, Victoria. “Against Carceral Feminism.” Jacobin, 2019, www.jacobinmag.com/2014/10/against-carceral-feminism/.
“Man Kills Girlfriend, Shoots 11-Month-Old Son, before Turning Gun on Himself.” ABC13 Houston, 24 Apr. 2019, abc13.com/5267941/?ex_cid=TA_KTRK_TW&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A%2BTrending%2BContent&utm_content=5cc145ec341f8f00018ccf13&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter.