During the early morning of February 16th 2020 Lufilufilimalelei  “Daelyn” Polu was in a vehicle that was pulled over by Anchorage Police Department (APD). According to the Anchorage Police Department, young Daelyn pulled out a gun and shot at an officer during the traffic stop. After Daelyn allegedly fired his gun, Officer Jason Cusack shot at Daelyn. The bullets struck Daelyn in his head, killing him.

Daelyn’s mother, Ms. Karen, believes that the story of how Daelyn was killed is not completely accurate. She has many questions and feels that her son would never shoot at a police officer unless he was in imminent danger. At this current date Daelyn’s case has been officially closed. Were asking that you sign this petition so that Ms. Karen and her family can receive the closure they deserve.

We have four demands for Mayor Ethan Berkowitz.

1.      Give a public and personal apology to the family of Lufilufilimalelei “Daelyn” Polu. Your insensitivity on June 5th at the “George Floyd” rally was unacceptable. As a leader in this community you should act in the most professional and considerate manner, especially while addressing the public. You thoughtlessly took the microphone without even acknowledging Daelyn’s mother and brother, who had just 15 minutes prior spoke about Daelyn’s death. His family had expressed their need for answers and instead of addressing their concerns, you told the protesters that “APD is not like the lower 48”. This is unacceptable and Daelyn’s family deserves an apology.

2.      Reopen Lufilufilimalelei “Daelyn” Polu’s case. His family has many questions regarding the nature in which Daelyn was killed. They feel that misconduct may have played a role in his death. After several attempts to acquire information on the case, Ms. Karen received paperwork that does not look entirely accurate. It took Ms. Karen an unreasonable and inexcusable amount of time to receive paperwork that she was requesting since the beginning of this incident. We ask that Mayor Ethan Berkowitz does everything in his power to reopen this case so that Ms. Karen and her family can have the closure they deserve.

3.      Require that all future deaths by APD officers while on duty have an independent review. To ensure that no other family ever goes through the same ordeal that Daelyn’s family is going through, we demand that an independent review be mandatory. This ensures that families can feel confident in the explanation of their loved one’s unfortunate death.

4.      APD officers are required to wear body cameras during every civilian interaction while on duty. Body cameras ensure transparency and accountability during every police interaction. It is a tool that can be used to hold officers accountable for their decisions and can be used for self-evaluation of their conduct.