Ta’Kiya Young & her unborn child killed by Police in an Ohio Parking Lot 08.24.2023:
“Out of the car,” the officer said multiple times.
“For what? Young asks.
“They said you stole stuff. Do not leave,” he responds.
A second officer then stands in front of Young’s car, puts his hand on the hood, and eventually points his gun at her through the front windshield.
“I didn’t steal s—,” Young says.
“Then get out,” the first officer says.
The officer standing in front of the Young’s car is then seen pointing his gun towards her.
“Get out of the f—ing car,” the second officer says.
“No.” Young is heard saying, followed by, “You gonna shoot me?”
“Get out of the car,” the first officer responds while banging on Young’s window with one hand and grabbing the slightly opened window with the other.
Seconds later, Young is seen turning her steering wheel and driving off. A sound is heard as the officer in front of the car fires into the windshield at close range and moves to the driver’s side.
In a statement [Chief] Belford, (Blendon Township) said Young drove her car directly into one of the officers and he “fired a single shot through the windshield,” which led to her death. According to Belford, the officer is a victim of attempted vehicular assault.
(Regarding the other officer), Young also drove away with the other officer’s arm in the driver’s side window, making him a victim of misdemeanor assault, Belford said.
Because Young is dead, charges can’t be filed, but the crime victim status of both officers remain, Belford said.
“This is a tragedy.” Belford said. “Ms. Young’s family is understandingly very upset and grieving. While none of us can fully understand the depths of her pain, all of us can keep her family in our prayers and give them the time and space to deal with this heartbreaking turn of events.”
– Mirna Alsharif NBC News
My Dear Readers,
I am writing in response to the police involved shooting death of Ta’Kiya Young. I am filled with intense sadness not only because of the tragedy of her needless death, but also the loss of her unborn child. This shooting, the latest in the ongoing psychological intrusions that continue to strike at the heart of the African American community, is akin to a tsunami.
Tsunamis are giant waves caused by undersea earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. There are no identifiable means/ways to predict where, when or how destructive the next tsunami will be. However, while tsunamis cannot be prevented, there are things that can be done before, during, and after a tsunami that could save lives.
While deaths, injuries, and psychological trauma from natural occurrences like earthquakes or volcanic eruptions and the very unnatural deaths of African Americans by the intentional actions of police are both tragic and heart wrenching, they share another heartbreaking similarity: there is no identifiable means/ways to predict where, when or how destructive the next police shooting will be.
The Numbers Speak Truth: Consistency in the Killing of African Americans
There has been a consistent history of police involved shootings of African Americans. Various research studies have reached the following conclusions:
- Black people, who account for 13% of the US population, account for 27 % of those fatality shot and killed by police in 2021. That means that Black people are twice likely as White people to be shot and killed by police officers.
- Another study over a 40-year period (1980-2019) found that Black Americans were estimated to be 3.5 times more likely to die from police violence than White Americans.
- A study conducted by Harvard School of Public Health found that Black Americans are 3.23 times more likely than White Americans to be killed by police. The researchers examined 5,494 police related deaths in the US between 2013 and 2017.
- Police violence is a leading cause of death for young Black men in the United States. Over the life course, about 1 in every 1,000 Black men can be expected to be killed by police. Risk of being killed by the police peaks between the ages of 20 and 35 for men and women for all racial and ethnic groups.
- Racial disparities in killing by police varied widely across the country, with some metropolitan areas showing high differences between treatment by race. Black Chicagoans, for example were found to be over 650 % more likely to be killed by police than White Chicagoans.
The Tsunamis Comparison: Saving Lives: During & After Interaction with Police
As stated earlier, there are no identifiable ways/means to predict where, when or how destructive the next police shooting will be. In relations to daily interactions with police using police powers in enforcing the law, Black people as individuals have the power to take actions that could save lives and reduce the psychological distress of the interaction that may follow. Such empowerment can come in the following two phase:
- During the Police Stop
- After the Police Stop
- During the Police Stop
Understand …the police have the legal authority to stop, question and detain. Keep your hands in open sight. Keep your hands away from your body.
- Comply… Comply… Comply…with all police directives. Never leave the police stop without consent of the police. By leaving without consent you are placing you and your passengers in danger of death, or physical injury.
- Be observant. Take quiet notice of the police officer’s badge, vehicle identification number, the policing agency (city, county, or state), the time of the police stop, address and other key information such as possible witnesses or traffic cameras.
2. After the Police Stop
“Do not seek to resolve the issue with the Police in the street. You will lose. The system is designed for you… to lose.”
- First, understand you have succeeded in stepping away alive, unharmed, and now you can return home…safe.
- Be observant of the officer’s mannerisms, use of language (profanity) the way the police stop was carried out. Take note of any actions by the police officer that created discomfort (placing his hand on or drawing his firearm).
- If you feel you have been wronged, file a formal complaint with the police agency’s Accountability Department. The complaint is now documented and will trigger the opening of a formal review of the situation and will become a permanent record in the police officer’s personnel file that will follow the officer throughout active policing to retirement.
Concluding Words
My Dear Readers,
A few weeks ago, in the blog entitled, “In Our Corner: Learning to Live with Fear not In Fear.” I referenced the fear that African Americans feel when they or their loved ones interact with the police. They live every day, holding their breath…awaiting the next police shooting. And now, we mourn the tragic police shooting death of Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child. In reviewing the statements of Police Chief Belford as quoted in the beginning of the blog, there is a tapdancing around and intent to not only blame Ms. Young for their deaths but also to cite the two officers as “crime victims”.
The deaths of Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child were preventable. Ms. Young sought to resolve the issue with the Police in the streets by driving away and in doing so failed to comply with their commands and directives. The police in their response, seeking compliance, utilized profanity, power and control techniques as well as actions placing their own lives at risk of immediate harm, specifically one officer standing directly in front of the vehicle and the other officer reaching into the vehicle grabbing the steering wheel.
So, the outcome of situations in which the police interact with African Americans under the concepts of “enforcing the law”, directly results in the deaths of a black woman and her unborn child where the only crime was shoplifting a bottle of liquor. So again, the questions remain… To Protect & Serve: Do Black Lives Really Matter?
Looking at the realness of Blackness… As we continue to hold our breaths awaiting the next police involved shooting of a man, woman, child etc., listen to your own thoughts and feelings…. Answer the question and be with your own truths.
Until the next time… Remaining… In Our Corner
Loving Me More 