Candlelight vigil demands justice for DeOnté Rawlings

A candlelight vigil for DeOnté Rawlings, the 14-year-old African American youth killed by Washington, D.C. police

officers, drew nearly 200 community members on Sept. 27. The vigil was held at the site of the shooting, which occurred on Sept. 17.

Rawlings, who allegedly was riding a stolen minibike, was shot the head by two off-duty policemen. Both were out of uniform when they confronted Rawlings. The cops claim that Rawlings shot at them, but no gun has been found.

The crowd called for justice and angrily demanded explanations when Mayor Adrian Fenty appeared and spoke briefly. Several people wore a t-shirt with Rawlings’s picture on it that read:

“RIP DeOnté
aka Lip
The Police Did It.”

The ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) worked with the family to create the shirt, and ANSWER mobilized for and attended the vigil.

Click here to read more from PSL about this case.