On May 30th, James Scurlock, a 22 year old Black man, was murdered by Jake Gardner, a known racist and white supremacist during an Omaha demonstration in solidarity for George Floyd. This injustice sparked a summer of protest and demonstration by local Omaha activists leading to a Grand Jury indictment of Jake Gardner. 

It is imperative the evidence collected by Special Prosecutor Frederick Franklin, in partnership with the Omaha Police Department, and presented to the Grand Jury regarding the murder of James Scurlock by known racist and white supremacist Jake Gardner be released. 

Jake Gardner took his own life after he was indicted by a grand jury of his peers on 4 felony charges; manslaughter, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, attempted first-degree assault and terroristic threats. This decision was reached after Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine made a rushed decision to not press charges after only 36 hours of investigation. 

Special Prosecutor Frederick Franklin was quoted from the press conference following the grand jury's decision to indict saying "the charges stemmed in part from incriminating statements Gardner had made in his texts or Facebook messages".

Acknowledging this criminal case would have proceeded if Jake Gardner had not taken his own life, the public is entitled to hearing the damning evidence against him. This evidence is critical to ensuring that the Omaha community can move forward in obtaining true #justiceforjamesscurlock and beginning the process of healing racial tensions. 

By signing this petition you are voicing your commitment to #justiceforjamesscurlock through creating more transparency in the legal process and demanding that elected officials respect the will of the people.