Many celebrities, active in Black Lives Matter movement, spoke up for Elijah McClain, who is believed to be yet another victim of racially motivated police brutality. Eva Longoria is among them. The actress shared a cartoon, which follows, and aims to explain the horrific events that took place on August 24th, 2019 in Aurora, Colorado.
He Was Just Picking Up An Iced Tea For His Brother
According to the cartoon, McClain was on his way home from a convenience store, when The Aurora Police Department received a 911 call about a “suspicious person” in a ski mask, and came to investigate. McClain, the cartoon narrator explains, "occasionally wore a ski mask because he was anemic and got cold easily."
The officers were informed that the 911 caller did not believe anyone was in danger. But in the next 15 minutes after the police arrived, unarmed McClain was tackled to the ground, put in a carotid hold, and treated by first responders, who injected him with ketamine. The dose was too large and on the way to the hospital, the young man suffered from two heart attacks, and was declared brain-dead, dying only days later. The police officers claimed McClain was resisting arrest and ketamine was used to sedate him.
McClain’s family told The Cut that that night, McCain had made a quick trip to the convenience store to pick up an iced tea for his brother.
The Dead-End Case
The officers Woodyard, Rosenblatt, and Roedema involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave, but returned to duty after being cleared of all charges on November 22, 2019, by Adams County prosecutors, The Cut reports. And according to the cartoon, the medics who injected McClain with the large dose of ketamine for sedation, were not charged either.
Mari Newman, an attorney for McClain’s family said: “If Aurora thinks this is appropriate policing, the community should be petrified. We are disappointed, but not surprised that once again, members of law enforcement will not [be] held criminally accountable for killing an unarmed Black man.”
In light of the recent tragic events revolting around George Floyd’s killing, McClain’s death has attracted a lot of attention. A Change.org petition, demanding “Justice for Elijah McClain” has gathered almost 2 million signatures and Instagram page justiceforelijahmcclain currently has 149K followers.
“They consistently murder us without repercussions. There's so many stories you haven't heard but need to hear. This is the story of Elijah McClain, he deserves justice as much as Breonna Taylor & George Floyd,” Longoria said in her post.
