Today marks 2 years since Elijah McClain’s passing. In view of this anniversary, Elijah’s mother, Sheneen McClain, gives a series of interviews reflecting on his life, the aftermath of his passing, and hopes for the future. Today, the @JusticeforElijahMcClain team shares her words and an update on their case.

Elijah’s Murder
“At the time, [Elijah’s] mother was homeless and living in a hotel with some of her other children. Sheneen McClain first heard from the police over a messenger app… ‘They kept saying it was his fault. The first thing I heard was Elijah was running through the parking lot, beating on cars recklessly and he was making a lot of noise running up and down the street. And the first thing I’m thinking, of course, is, that’s not who my son is. I know how he walks out of the house — he wears headphones and doesn’t want to be distracted. But I did my best to keep quiet. I let them ask their questions.’

“For a long time, there was no movement on her lawsuit and no one in Colorado seemed to care that Aurora police had killed a peaceful massage therapist.

“Within three months, the then Adams County District Attorney Dave Young, cleared the officers involved of any wrongdoing.”- CPR News

Sheneen’s Reflections
“As a single mom, raising kids by myself, doing everything I could to make sure Elijah had a future so he didn’t become a statistic, and then him being a statistic anyway,” she said. “It felt like the world had rejected us … And then to have the police officers kill my son. Spiritually, I thought that was a rejection too.” - CPR News

Sheneen Shares About Elijah
“He enrolled in a massage therapy school and worked at a Little Caesars Pizza. He started reading more. He loved music and had taught himself the violin. At the time of the arrest, he was a massage therapist at Massage Envy and worked at a chiropractor’s office. His ultimate dream was to live on a cruise ship and work in massage therapy — seeing the world while healing people at the same time.” - CPR News

Sheneen’s Life Now
“After years of homelessness and scraping by for six children, Sheneen McClain’s life has condensed down to an almost singular mission: defending her late son’s name while quietly fighting to reform the police…” - CPR News

On Donations
“‘When I checked it out, it had $2.5 million in there.’ The donations so long after his death confused her. Where were all the people before? Why didn’t anyone help when she could have used the money to bury Elijah? She’d had to cremate him instead. A burial would have made it possible to exhume his body for further investigations, but now it was too late. ‘I appreciate it. You know, I definitely appreciate it, but I still didn't understand it,’ she said. ‘He was already gone.’

“The money did allow her family a new level of stability; she was able to buy a car and a house — she decided to move outside of Aurora.

“Earlier this year, she switched lawyers. She donated money to homeless organizations that had helped her family throughout the many years they didn’t have a stable place to stay. She also donated to some after-school programs that Elijah had enjoyed — including the Boys and Girls Club.” - CPR News

Update on the Case & Justice
“Sheneen McClain’s civil rights lawsuit is now making progress towards resolution. Investigations probing his death are ongoing — they include a statewide grand jury looking into whether the officers did anything illegal.

“One report, commissioned by the city of Aurora, found that officers had no reason to lay hands on McClain the night he was walking back from the convenience store.” - CPR News

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Read the full articles here:
CPR News
The Denver Post

Thank you for standing for justice on this deeply tragic day.

- @JusticeforElijahMcClain