Edited published article: http://www.peoplesworld.org/article/being-deaf-is-not-a-crime-protests-after-okc-police-shooting/

Below is my submitted article to my editors:

Tuesday, September 19, Oklahoma City Police shot and killed, 35 year old, Magdiel Sanchez, a deaf man. Yesterday, Sunday, September 24, over 150 persons marched upon City Hall demanding justice during an afternoon rally.

NPR said, “This makes the fifth police-involved shooting in Oklahoma City this year.” The police had been notified by a witness of a hit and ran and gave Sanchez’s address where the alleged car was. When police arrived Sanchez was on the front porch holding a metal pipe. Neighbors yelled numerous times that Sanchez was deaf when he did not comply with police commands. “Sgt, Chris Barnes fatally shot Sanchez who had no criminal history,” USA Today reports.

Oklahoma Police Chief, Bill Citty, told KFOR-TV, “Our officers are not all trained with bilingual capacities. Sanchez’s father was in the yard but did not speak English.” Local news and grassroots activist also claim that many on the police force are not trained in non-lethal options.

Mark Faulk, Oklahoma City activist, and video documentarist said, “Most police departments have a shoot to kill policy, but that’s because they’re only supposed to resort to using lethal weapons when their own lives are actually threatened. Instead, they use deadly force as a first choice, not as a last resort. It’s not just a failure in training, it’s a deeply flawed system. And to be honest, all the training in the world won’t change the mindset of a racist, aggressive police officer.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma released this statement. “We are incredibly saddened and disturbed by the news that an Oklahoma City police officer shot and killed Magdiel Sanchez, a deaf man confronted on his own porch. Merely failing to follow commands is an unacceptable defense for the use of lethal force. We have allowed a dangerous culture of “us vs. them” to fester among our law enforcement professionals. This killing speaks directly to a warrior culture in which the very people police officers are sworn to protect come to be viewed as the enemy. This culture assumes that an officer’s command, regardless of validity, is more important and more valuable than a human life.”

The rally Sunday was organized by the Carnalismo National Brown Berets, the American Indian Movement Indian Territory Chapter, Black Lives Matter Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Association of the Deaf who marched from City Hall to the Oklahoma City Police Department to rally for the senseless murder of Magdiel Sanchez.

Organizers went inside the OKC Police department to request a police representative to address the crowds. But were declined. They were told that a meeting next week with OKC Police and rally organizers would be held. The meeting is to initiate discussions about what needs to happen to affect positive changes in law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma City.

The numerous attendees heard first from Rev. Sheri Amore Dickerson, Black Lives Matter Oklahoma. A signer was present for any attendees who were deaf or hearing impaired. “I am an angry black woman, “ Dickerson stated. She had the crowd chant AGAIN, denoting the numerous persons of color slaying in Oklahoma at the hands of law enforcement. “How sad and fearful that the police did not hear the neighbors yelling he was deaf. How many more times must we hear them (police) change the story to justify killing.” Signaling Trump’s racist remarks over the weekend, Dickerson told the crowd, “It is our constitutional right to take a knee if we want to.”

Ashley McCray, founder of #NoPlainsPipeline and an Oklahoma University graduate student, and Absentee Shawnee member also spoke. “I feel sad for us having to be gathered here today. We are brown skinned too as our brothers and sisters south of us are. Realize we did not have borders but yet borders were forced upon both of us, North and South. “ She went on to describe that out of all the Native tribes in Oklahoma only three were indigenous to Oklahoma. “Some forty other tribes were placed upon death marches to relocate to Oklahoma forcibly.” People of color have been brutalized and murdered for centuries in America. “Magdiel Sanchez senseless murder by Oklahoma City police is just another example of the racism in America right now. Persons of Color are fearful of dying.”

Fox25 News in Oklahoma City says Sanchez’ family demands the arrest of the officer who shot Magdiel. “Our family is devastated by Magdiel’s death. At the hands of OKCP when he was not a suspect, was not committing any crime, when he was in his own yard, with his trust walking stick.”

You can watch the Rally here Video 1 Video 2.