Residents in a poor, black area of Raleigh, North Carolina, have protested over the death of Akiel Denkins, a 24-year-old who was reportedly shot seven times while running away from police officers.
Denkins, a father of two, was wanted on felony drug charges when officers approached him early on Monday afternoon. He began to run and refused to stop. According to witnesses, he jumped over a fence. It was reported that senior officer DC Twiddy, 29, tripped on the fence during the pursuit and subsequently fired several shots at Denkins.
Denkins’ mother, Rolanda Byrd, told reporters that his body was left on the ground for two hours before police confirmed that he had died. As the crime scene was investigated – reportedly with officers in riot gear present – locals turned up and began to chant “black lives matter”.
Byrd and witnesses claim Denkins was unarmed. Cassandra Deck-Brown, the chief of Raleigh police, said in a statement that “it is known that a firearm was located in close proximity to the deceased suspect” but it is unclear whether the weapon was in Denkins’ possession.
Despite the lack of clarity at this early stage in investigations, radio presenter and former NYPD officer John Cardillo tweeted several times to his 8,000 Twitter followers that Denkins had “pulled a gun” on Twiddy. Cardillo, who is based in Florida, told people angry at his characterisation of Denkins that “Hitler was also special to someone”.
After the crime scene was cleared, more locals arrived to grieve for Denkins, and to discuss their perception of police brutality in their community.
“I was at work when I heard about it,” said Jay, a former resident of the area who now lives a few miles away. He drove straight to south-east Raleigh after work. “And when I heard about it, it was nothing new to me. Police officers, this is what they always do.”
A local man, who did not want to be named, said: “People here ain’t stupid. They might not have a good education but they know what’s going on.” He said he was pleased that the issue of police brutality was beginning to be discussed more seriously on a national level. “It’s happening here, it’s happening everywhere.”
Religious leaders led a vigil as night fell, with at least 300 people attending. As well as leading the community in prayers, the various speakers emphasised the need to recognise the problems within the community as well as those created by perceived policing issues. The riots in Ferguson were cited frequently as a warning of how the community should give careful consideration to its reaction. “We have to get this right,” said Pastor Chris Jones.
They discussed concrete reforms they want to see in the city, such as greater powers for civilians to investigate police misconduct and hold officers accountable, and the introduction of body cameras. The city council had been due to debate the use of the cameras on Monday afternoon, but cancelled it on receiving news of the shooting.
There were also questions about police tactics, where officer training is more often focused on shooting to kill rather than to maim when the suspect is not violent. Jones questioned the need to kill a suspect with his back turned. “If he runs today, you can catch him tomorrow.”
Many present complained that the Raleigh police department made them feel more threatened than safe, despite this being one of the most heavily policed areas of the city. “When one of us dies, nothing’s done about it,” Jay said. “Where are the good cops when the bad cops are around?”
“There ain’t none,” a passerby interjected.
The community was open about Denkins’ troubled past and the community’s internal difficulties. One person who knew him said that he “was a young man who was full of love”, but admitted “he had trouble in his life – don’t we all!” Denkins had a history of criminal offences, including drug possession and domestic violence.
But church leaders insisted that his problems were ones that had to be addressed as a community. The various churches and mosques openly pledged to collect money for Denkins’ family. “This is about care!” a woman shouted from the crowd.
Minister Diana Powell said: “This young man, he lost his life. And his life matters, and all of our lives matter.” She and others gathered talked at length about the need for the community to act responsibly. “This is a defining moment and we don’t want to mess it up.”
Powell added: “They expect us to act up, they expect us to act the fool, but we are better than that.” After the vigil ended, hundreds of people marched through the town, with members of the Nation of Islam taking charge of crowd control on the way. It was an emotional but peaceful procession, at the end of which a service was held at nearby Bible Way Temple.
Ace Henderson, a local musician who grew up in the area at the same time as Denkins, said: “Tonight I keep bumping into people I went to middle school with.”
Henderson, his voice heavy with exhaustion, added: “We’re not having any riots or burning things down or anything like that. We’re much more sad and disappointed.” He feels the community’s sense of neglect by police. “In terms of being on the helpful side, I guess they kind of do try to help, but … it’s really hard to call.”
He was reflective about what the shooting meant in the long term. Like many others who attended the protest, he felt like the community was on the cusp of something, even if that change meant a lot of pain and hard work. “We’re all living in truth right now, because we’re all still living.”
