Last August, Elijah Mcclain was walking home from a convenience store after buying tea. Police were on the lookout for a suspect with a ski mask that had been reported earlier that night that had reportedly been “flailing his arms around suspiciously”. Elijah was dancing in the street while going home. He wore a ski mask because he was anemic. Police approached him, got him on the ground, and here are the final words recorded by police body cams on that night. 

“I can’t breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah Mcclain. That’s my house. I was just going home. I’m an introvert. I’m just different, that’s all. I’m so sorry. I have no gun. I don’t do that stuff. I don’t do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don’t even kill flies! I don’t eat meat, but I don’t judge people who do eat meat. Forgive me. All I was trying to do was become better. I will do it. I will do anything. Sacrifice my identity, I’ll do it. You all are phenomenal. You’re beautiful. I love you. Try to forgive me. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Ow, that really hurt, you all are really strong. *Crying* Team work makes the dream work. Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I just can’t breathe correctly.” 

Officers injected Elijah with the amount of ketamine that should’ve been used to calm down a man twice the size of him. This resulted in a series of heart attacks. He was declared brain dead once he reached the hospital. Elijah was said to be kind, quiet, and intelligent. He played violin for kittens in his spare time. He was twenty-two years old. The officers who killed him are still on the force. 

The fear based murder of black people by police places needles in my heart. Tolerating racism is still racism. Sign for Elijah. Sign for Breonna. Sign for George. Sign for Trayvon. Sign for Ahmaud. Sign for the people who were killed because they were walking. Dancing in the street. In their car. Shopping. Sleeping. Buying skittles. Being black. Blackness is not a weapon.