Holly Tucker
On September 10, Holly Tucker, daughter of prominent New Haven, Connecticut anti-racist activist Barbara Fair, was followed by police officers and pulled over for no apparent reason.When asked to produce her license and registration, she did. The two police officers then forced their hands into Tucker’s window, opened the car, grabbed her out of her car, twisted her arms and slammed her to the ground. To justify their behavior, she was charged with “interfering with an officer.” Tucker was thrown in jail without being read her rights and spent the night there, despite police knowing that her young child was waiting for her alone at home.
This horrible treatment of a young Black mother and student did not come out of nowhere. What started as an arbitrary traffic stop swiftly became cops taking photographs of Tucker’s vehicle with their phones and escalated into violence as soon as one of the officers recognized Holly from a court case she had leveraged against other unlawful NHPD behavior. “Oh, you like to take cops to court,” one of the cops said to her. She was targeted for being an activist and knowing her rights.
Barbara Fair and Holly Tucker have both been ardent and inspirational fighters against racism, police terror and mass incarceration for years. They are well-known and loved in the community, not only as leaders and role models, but also as people who have sacrificed endlessly for others who have suffered at the hands of the justice system.
Fair is a cofounder of My Brother’s Keeper, a community organization focusing on fighting forjustice for people targeted by the criminal justice system. A focal area of her advocacy has been demanding an end to the drug war. Tucker works with young children, is in school to be a teacher and assists her mom in much of her activism.
Actions for justice and media blackout
Immediately after Tucker was assaulted, the community she has always supported came together to stand up for her. On multiple occasions, dozens of people took the streets, rallied in front of the police department, staged a sit-in at the mayor’s office and interrupted and took over an Aldermanic public safety commission meeting to demand justice for Tucker. As Internal Affairs continues to drag its feet and avoid addressing this case, outrage continues to grow and more actions are planned. “I never abused my daughter. My daughter’s father never abused her. Her partner never abused her. And you’re telling me that I’m going to stand by when the New Haven Police Department thinks it can get away with abusing my daughter? We need to hear something,” said Barbara Fair, Tucker’s mother. “With all these delays and stalls, we have no idea what’s happening.”
Despite these powerful actions, complete with press releases and personal calls to journalists and politicians, the media has almost entirely ignored Holly’s case. One news channel interviewed Tucker extensively, but then told the family that they were not allowed to air the story.
This case is a terrible reminder of the collaboration that happens frequently between media and those in power in the city. Mika, a protester at the most recent rally outside the NHPD headquarters, said: “Had this been any other person assaulting any other person, this would have made the crime blotter. A regular working class person would be arrested and charged with assault if they pulled a young woman out of her car and slammed her against the ground. That’s what’s supposed to happen when you assault someone. That’s not what happens when the police hurt someone.”
The hypocrisy of both the media and law enforcement is further emphasized by the fact that last week, NHPD arrested a dozen sex workers in a sting, and the arrestees’ photos and names were plastered all over the front page of the newspapers. The cops who assaulted Tucker, however, were neither arrested nor had their names publicized. They are still patrolling the streets of New Haven.
A national epidemic
Police brutality is often only displayed to the public on a national scale when the victim’s life is stolen away and they can no longer speak up for themselves or fight. We hear very often about the victims of color that die at the hands of police every 48 hours, but what of the people who are brutally assaulted and survive? Because Holly Tucker survived and is able to tell her story, there is a media blackout in hopes that she and her supporters will give up.
Holly Tucker is one of many activists, people of color and working people targeted for abuse by police in Connecticut and throughout the country. Her story cannot go unheard because it is only through mass action and publicity that she can get justice from this corrupt system.
Holly Tucker needs our support now. Because the media refuses to share her story, we need to do so instead and spread the word among everyone who believes in ending police violence. The demands for justice for Holly are: Drop all charges against Holly Tucker now! Take the cops who assaulted her off the street! Institute an all-civilian review board to monitor and discipline police treatment of New Haven civilians!
All progressive people should stand in solidarity with Holly Tucker and all victims of police violence. Share this story widely and stay tuned for updates on how to support Holly Tucker and her family as they continue their fight.
