October 10, 2016,
Dear Mayor Bowser,
It is with a heavy heart that we
write this letter concerning the death of Terrence Sterling. As Ambassadors for Jesus Christ, we are
mandated to seek justice and equality for the least, lost and left out. When hearing about what has been reported and
speaking with those in the community, we feel obligated to write this letter
hoping you would give prayerful thought and take wise counsel.
We understand that it was
reported that your officers were told to stand down, and not continue to pursue
person(s) on a motorcycle(s), however it seems like the officers
continued. We also understand that a
police vehicle was used as a barricade to block the motorcycle(s) path (We know
that this is not proper procedure for the Metropolitan Police Department). Also, the police in question, failed to have
his camera on nor was all the footage released, which is also against
Metropolitan Police Department procedures.
We further understand that Mr. Sterling was shot in the back, and that
this has been deemed a homicide by the coroner.
It was further documented that that the Police Union Representative who
was called to the scene told the shooter to cut his camera off and to leave the
scene of the homicide (is this standard practice?). Finally, we heard that this police officer
has had a history of insubordination.
It is your duty, Madam Mayor, to
ensure that this case is handled correctly.
We demand transparency to the citizens of the District of Columbia.
Because of the history of America, and the documented police killings and
police brutality against Black men and women, we strongly encourage you to hold
the investigators and prosecutors accountable to be just and fair for the
people.
As always, as the President of
the Missionary Baptist Minister’s Conference of Washington, D.C. and Vicinity,
I welcome a conversation with you on this and any other issues that affects our
constituents. We will continue to pray
for you.
Sincerely,
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