On Apr. 2 Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced that he will not be charging GRPD officers Chris Carlson and Austin Diekevers for the murder of Da’Quain Tre’ Johnson. Becker is the same prosecutor who refused to convict former GRPD officer Christopher Schurr for the killing of Patrick Lyoya.
Da’Quain Tre’ Johnson was shot and killed by the Grand Rapids Police Department on Feb. 18 outside of his family’s apartment complex. Body cam footage from just before the shooting shows officers Carlson and Diekevers on top of Da’Quain who is laying face-down with a K9 attacking him. Within seconds of being restrained Da’Quain is shot three times in the back by officer Carlson. Tragically many family members, including his 9-year old daughter, witnessed the shooting.
Now nearly two months later Da’Quains mother, Angelica Johnson, is still demanding answers and justice for her son’s death. “Chris Becker is a joke,” Ms. Johnson said, reacting to the decision to not bring charges against the officers, “the GRPD is a joke, and they officially got a green light to kill at will.”
Since the murder, GRPD has waged a campaign to demonize Da’Quain — changing their story weekly and making accusations that have yet to be shown on video.
However the family and people of Grand Rapids have not been deterred, promising to continue fighting until the officers are held accountable. “If we don’t get up and start working together as a whole we can’t make change. I still believe my son’s death had a purpose. I believe change is definitely gonna come” Da’Quain’s mother said in a speech demanding justice for her son and all victims of police violence.
GRPD’s racist legacy of police violence
Da’Quain Johnson’s murder is just the latest instance of violence inflicted by Grand Rapids police. In just the past four years there have been 12 officer involved shootings in the city. 9 happened in the southeast side of Grand Rapids, where the highest concentration of Black residents live. Eleven of the 12 shootings involved Black and Latine people.
The announcement not to pursue charges against the officers who shot Da’Quain now means in 11 of these 12 incidents Kent county prosecutor Chris Beker has decided not to pursue criminal charges against the officers involved. With the one instance of charges being the failure to convict Patrick Lyoya’s killer.
Ben Crump, a civil-rights attorney representing Ms. Johnson, described the shooting as an “assassination” and the following demonization of Da’Quain’s character as “playbook” for the GRPD. It is clear that this is not an isolated incident or tragic accident, but rather a representation of the Grand Rapids Police Department’s legacy of racist police violence.
People power can jail killer cops and build a socialist movement
Under capitalism we can see that the police, prisons, and courts serve to defend the interests of corporations and the rich. They do nothing to address the roots of crime like access to jobs, housing, education, or food security. In fact GRPD has demonstrated they make our communities less safe.
The refusal to press charges not just in Da’Quain’s case but in so many other cases of police violence makes it clear that Grand Rapids city officials do not serve the people. Instead they are interested in protecting their own interests and the same racist, violent system of policing that killed Da’Quain Johnson, Patrick Lyoya, and so many more.
But it has always been the people, not city officials and prosecutors, who have won justice against killer cops. It was the Aurora community that fought and won the conviction of Randy Roedema for the murder of Elijah McClain and it was a movement of thousands all over the country that won the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
The people of Grand Rapids will bring Chris Carlson and Austin Diekevers to justice for taking the life of Da’Quain Tre’ Johnson!
Featured image: Liberation News
