Saturday, November 11
12:00 pm
21st St. and Shadeland Ave.
(In front of the Burger King)
The families of IMPD victims Herman Whitfield III, Gary Harrell, and Frederick Davis are calling for the Indianapolis community to join them at the memorial site where Davis was shot and killed by officer Nicolas Deem in late October. The families demand justice. Community organizers Pastor Denell Howard and Elder Mmoja Ajabu, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and organizers with the Indianapolis Liberation Center are supporting them and urging you to respond to their call.
While police violence is not new to the United States or Indianapolis, it is increasing at a troubling rate. Davis was the 14th shooting victim of the IMPD this year and the 10th victim since IMPD officer Douglas Correll murdered Gary Harrell on August 3. In other words, the police shot 10 people in less than 3 months this year, the same number they shot in 2022. The city of Indianapolis cannot continue on this trajectory and we refuse to let it.
“What if it was your family member?”
The families of victims of IMPD terror are fighting back for justice and calling on the rest of the Indianapolis community to stand with them. As Gary Harrell’s sister, Missy Williams, stated during an October 28 rally, “Come out and join us. What if it was your family member?”
Unite with us on Saturday to demand:
- The immediate, full, and unedited body cam and surveillance footage of all officers involved in the murder of Frederick Davis, identifying all cops involved;
- Quickly fire all IMPD officers involved in the murders of Frederick Davis, Gary Harrell, and Herman Whitfield III;
- Promptly charge all IMPD officers involved in murdering Davis, Harrell, Whitfield, and so many others whose lives they have stolen from us without convening a grand jury!
The significance of a united movement led by victims’ families
What is remarkable and inspiring is that the victims’ families, who suffer not only from the loss of loved ones but from lengthy legal proceedings the city intentionally draws out to try and wait out the people, are not demoralized. Earlier this year, Faith in Indiana joined with the Whitfield’s and Anthony Maclin and his family to urge the Department of Justice to intervene. Now, they are uniting in a struggle beyond the formal mechanisms of the law to fight back in a united and organized manner!
The rapid escalation in racist shootings and murders, which primarily targeted Black men, affect us all. Davis’ cousin, Jeffrey Harley, said, “You never think it’s going to happen to you until it does. My cousin had mental health issues. Indianapolis needs to invest more in mental health[care].” The oppression of Black America is so central to the U.S. that it is inseparable from the oppression and exploitation that characterize U.S. capitalism more broadly. The cops, after all, only see one color: blue. Each year, the city spends more and more of our money on funding cops and sheriffs, taking away from funding services that could actually address the root causes of “crime.” Even worse, the city spends millions of our dollars keeping racist killer cops on the streets so they can kill again!
Three too many
Victim 1: Six IMPD cops killed Herman Whitfield III on April 25, 2022. After his mother called for an ambulance to help her son through a mental health crisis, the cops showed up and, without any threat or provocation, chased, tackled, and electrocuted and suffocated Herman to death in front of his parents in their living room.
Victim 2: On August 3, 2023, IMPD officer Douglas Correll—who has a documented history of racist brutality and civil rights violations—shot Gary Harrell in the back, killing Harrell with his second shot. Even the police’s highly edited and narrated video affirms Correll violated federal law and IMPD policy, according to Stephen Wagner and Wagner Reese, LLP. Harrell was walking away from Correll and posed no threat.
Victim 3: On October 26, the IMPD murdered Frederick Davis near 21st St. and North Shadeland Ave. The IMPD told the media that Davis was trespassing on several properties when they were called by Burger King employees. The cops are, unsurprisingly, alleging his death resulted from a gun fight with an officer. Given the IMPD’s almost spotless record of lying, however, the community isn’t buying it.
PSL Indianapolis urges everyone of our members and supporters to take this call to action seriously. We can fight divided, but we can only win united!
