On Sunday night, Stephon Clark was doing the same thing that many of us do regularly — he simply walked around the outside of his home with his cellphone in his hand. That night, Stephon was killed in the backyard of the home he shared with his grandparents and some of his siblings while police officers were responding to a report of a person breaking windows nearby. The police came armed and ready to shoot a prowler with a toolbar smashing windows. However, Stephon did not have a toolbar and was not smashing windows. He was unarmed at home, and the only thing in his hands was his cell phone.
“What happened to Stephon could have easily happened to any one of our sons. We are tired of burying our sons due to misidentification, racial profiling and hasty decisions made by law enforcement,” said MOBB United founder Depelsha McGruder. “How many times will our black sons ‘fit the profile’? How many times will our sons die at the hands of those meant to protect and serve? When will this end?”
Moms of Black Boys United for Social Change calls for a swift investigation into the death of Stephon Clark. We ask for a transparent investigation into why these officers entered the backyard of Stephon Clark’s home with guns drawn, ready to confront a prowler with a toolbar. We ask that once the investigation has concluded that there will be fair and equitable accountability for the officers who took Stephon’s life.
We will stay vigilant as we watch this investigation unfold. And we will continue to raise our voice in support of Stephon’s family and justice for Stephon Clark!
Moms of Black Boys (MOBB) United, Inc. and MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. are sister non-profit organizations formed by Depelsha McGruder to galvanize concerned mothers who want to work together to make a difference in how Black boys and men are perceived and treated by law enforcement and in society. What started as a Facebook group of about 30 women has grown into an online community of more than 175,000 Moms nationwide and globally, representing every race, age, religion, socioeconomic background, marital status and education level. Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. is a resource that shares vital information, encourages strong family and community connections, promotes self-care and empowers moms to navigate all of the institutions that interact with, influence and impact their sons. MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. acts as a voice for moms of black sons and is focused on influencing policy and eliminating racial disparities related to the interaction black boys and men have with law enforcement and persons in authority. From the school-to-prison pipeline to the broader criminal justice system, the goal is to change the trajectory of racial injustice to ensure that black boys and men survive and thrive.
For more information on MOBB United or to speak with a national leader, please contact Vanessa McCullers at [email protected] or Text/Call 323-217-7304. You can also visit us at mobbunited.org or @MOBBUnited on Twitter, Instagram or YouTube.
