Statement In Response to the Killing of Patrick Lyoya
Patrick Lyoya was 26 years of age, a father of two children, a son, and a brother to five siblings; Patrick Lyoya did not deserve to be killed by officer Christopher Schurr; he deserves to be alive today. As a Black woman with several siblings who are Black men, my heart aches for the Lyoya family. The United States has a long and well-documented history of Black people being wrongfully convicted, harmed, or killed by law enforcement. We can no longer remain stagnant. Silence will only continue to harm community members; it may harm those we love. Our country is at its strongest when we’re unified and we’re all allowed to make mistakes, fall in love, experience joy, and healthy quality of life
As civil servants, all elected officials have a responsibility to the people, the time to speak up is now. It’s time for legislators to turn air into action, by using their political power to create policies that ensure the safety of Black people and create a just process for accountability. As community members, we can do our part to ensure that humanity and accountability are not selective. Patrick Lyoya did not deserve harm, he deserved humanity. As community members we can take part in creating a fair world by doing the following
● Contact your State senator (visit senate.michigan.gov/
senator) and urge them to conduct more hearings and pass the following bills:
a. S.B. 473, which would require the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards
to create and make public guidelines for independent investigations of officer-involved
deaths.
b. S.B 480, would create a duty for officers to intervene if they see another officer using
excessive force, also allowing for disciplinary action to be taken for officers who fail to
intervene in excessive force incidents.
c. S.B 475, would allow the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement
Standards to revoke the licenses of certain law enforcement officers if it
determines they used excessive force resulting in the death or serious bodily
harm of others while on duty, and to prohibit those licenses from being
reissued.
● Join the Oakland County Democratic Party and become a member of one of our committees.
● Contact elected officials in your municipality, and request an independent review of all city Law
Enforcement policies and procedures, followed by a plan to replace all policies that perpetuate
racism and colorism with fair, anti-racist, and inclusive ones.
My sincerest condolences to the family of Patrick Lyoya, and as a chairperson of the Oakland County Democratic Party I stand in solidarity with the protestors marching in his honor.
Sincerely,
Alexandria Hughes
Oakland County Democratic Party African American Committee Chair
MEDIA INFO: Please call (248) 972-6400 or email chair@ocdp.org with any interview request.
ABOUT THE OCPD: The Oakland County Democratic Party is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote social and economic justice by building an engaged, diverse, Democratic majority in Oakland County in order to enhance the quality of life for all. Membership is open to all Oakland County residents who are eligible to vote. For more information, go to https://ocdp.org or call 248-972-6400.
We hope that you are doing well. If you have any questions, please reach out to staff@ocdp.org.
-Jody
Photo by Mercedes Bosquet on Unsplash
