Hands Up Don't Shoot

Meet Anthony Parker, also known as: Wordsmith.  Wordsmith, a Baltimore native, is a hip hop artist, song writer, music label owner, and community activist.  He and his work have crossed international borders, spreading words of positivity.  A little while ago, Wordsmith faced police brutality.  Listen to find out how he’s overcoming his police interaction and working with the community on police reform.  He also shares how COVID-19 has changed the way he shares his music.

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Amadou Diallo was a young man from Liberia, interested in continuing his education in America. After receiving his elders’ blessings, he traveled to New York City to pursue his dreams. His pursuit of the American dream turned into a nightmare when he was gunned down by four plainclothes officers. Korryn Gaines was a daughter, a mother and a friend. Her distrust in police led to recording her interactions with police. Her final recording is of a standoff with officers that ended tragically with her death and the injury of her son.

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Shem Walker was an Army veteran and family man.  In an effort to protect his family and community, he routinely removed individuals from his mother’s steps.   Protecting his family turned into losing his life by an undercover cop. Bettie Jones was a churchwoman, mother of five, and grandmother of nine.  She lost her life while assisting officers responding to a domestic dispute. Listen to find out how her helpfulness inadvertently  resulted in her accidental death.

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Terence Crutcher was having car troubles and stuck in the middle of the road.  He was accused of looking like a “bad guy” and shot with his hands up.  Kendra James was riding with friends, when the car she was in was pulled over.  She tried getting away, but was shot and killed after being attacked by a police officer.

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On the evening of March 3, 1991, Rodney King’s life changed forever.  After being pulled over for speeding, Rodney was brutally assaulted by four members of the Los Angeles Police Department.  This assault was caught on film after being shared, sparked international outrage.  Listen to learn more about the life of Rodney King. 

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Pamela Turner met her fate while she was walking in her neighborhood picking up trash.  She encountered a familiar face, and it would be the last face she ever saw.  Miriam Carey was driving around Washington, DC and ended up in a restricted area.  It cost her her life.

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Two young lives gone, and two groups of people that witnessed their friend’s last moments.  Listen to find out how Rekia Boyd and Randolph Evans came face to face with the police officers that ended their lives.

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Eula Mae Love was a mom and widow who was trying to make ends meet.  Listen to find out how Eula went from a scuffle with a utility worker to shot dead on her front lawn.  Michael Dean was a young father running errands.  His encounter with a police officer left him dead in his car with a bullet wound to his head.

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In today’s world, virtually anything can be captured on video.  But it hasn’t always been this way.  Ashley France-Howell dives into the stories of Black victims of police brutality in the United States.

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