After nine days of arguments and three days of jury deliberation, the judge in the case of Jewu Richardson on April 12 declared a mistrial after the six-person jury could not come to consensus on any of the charges against Richardson.
Richardson faced charges of assaulting an officer after being shot by the police. The charges were the police’s way of justifying shooting him. The police and the state prepared well, making sure to destroy the car—the alleged assault weapon—and repeatedly viewing all videos available to create a believable story. But since their story was full of holes, it started falling apart as cop after cop went on the stand, lied and was exposed.
An accident reenactment specialist testified that, based on the evidence available, it was highly unlikely Jewu committed the assault. One of the most powerful testimonies, unexpectedly, came from a witness called by the prosecutor. The civilian, who happened to witness Jewu being shot, refused to lie about what he saw. “The cop jumped on the hood of the car and shot at the driver,” he said. “I remember thinking, does that cop think he’s Superman or something?”
On April 11, the jury sent a note to the judge saying they were not able to make any progress in their deliberations. The judge sent them home to “meditate.” The next day, the jury sent another note to the judge saying they were making less progress than the day before. Two jurors had stated that they could not convict Richardson on any of the charges due to the criminal actions of the police on January 16, 2010, when the incident took place.
The final note quoted a juror: “They [the police] broke the law. How can you convict anyone in such a case?”
“What did it for me was hearing that there was a command three times to call off the pursuit,” said James Chapman Jr., the first juror to put his foot down and refuse to find Richardson guilty.
A celebration erupted outside the courthouse. At a press conference that afternoon, Richardson spoke: “I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but today, justice has been served. The only reason why I took this case to trial—the main reason—is because there’s so many other people like Malik Jones that died, like Sean Bell that died, like Ramarley Graham that died, that weren’t here to speak about the injustice that they received by the police department, and I felt like I had an obligation to go forward with my case.”
Emma Jones, whose son Malik was killed by the East Haven Police on April 14, 1997, and who has been a strong supporter of Jewu Richardson throughout his case, spoke at the press conference: “I think it’s very important that people also take note of the fact that this was in some ways more representative of a jury of Mr. Richardson’s peers, and I think that when you have a jury of your peers you’re more likely to receive justice than you are to receive justice if you are dealing with people who are isolated and who have a total different experience regarding the police.”
Jones was referring to the fact that the jury pool for the city of New Haven includes a large number of predominantly white suburbs, while the two jurors who refused to find Jewu Richardson guilty on any charges were Black.
More than just a win for Richardson
Jones continued: “Today is more than just a win for Mr. Richardson. It’s a win for Malik as he’s asleep in his grave, and it is a terrific victory for all of the brothers and sisters across this land who have been brutalized and murdered and treated inhumanely by the police and have been given absolutely no justice.”
The press conference ended with chants of “No justice—no peace!” and “Justice for Malik! Justice for Jewu! An injury to one is an injury to all!”
In a mistrial, the prosecution can choose to retry the defendant. Despite this, the jury’s decision and statements set a significant precedent in the fight against police brutality. Police often act as if they are above the law. In the case of Jewu Richardson’s 13-year history of harassment and brutality at the hands of the police, some officers who beat and framed him were arrested in 2007 in a federal investigation into widespread corruption. The task force’s leader, Billy White, pled guilty to charges of taking bribes and stealing money.
The struggle for justice for all victims of police brutality in New Haven and across the country continues. On May 8, Jewu Richardson will be accompanied by supporters to the courtroom to find out if the state will attempt to retry his case.
While individual cases can and must be fought and won—as in the case of Jewu Richardson—a complete societal transformation is necessary to end the epidemic of police brutality. Only a socialist system can bring about a world where the police are not the armed enforcers of the bosses and owners.
For additional details of the history of the case, see: “Jewu Richardson fights for life and justice,” and the Justice for Jewu website.
