Demanding Accountability and Change, in the News and in the Streets

Feb 2, 2023 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Policing

A banner of three images side-by-side. Left to right: Dawn, a Black woman, speaks in front of a microphone; behind a statue of MLK Jr. and the shadows of people with cameras, Kerwin, a Black man in a tan coat, speaks in front of a crowd; Darryl Williams' mother, a Black woman, watches a speaker in front of her.

Image credit: Bob Karp (@photopup)

In the wake of police murders, Emancipate responds. 

Gone are the days when Raleigh PD can direct the media narrative and make undisputed claims that its officers’ killings are “justified force.” On Tuesday, January 24, we gathered with the family and loved ones of Darryl Williams to honor his life and to assert to the press that, were it not for such careless, violent policing, he should still be alive today. Outlets ranging from WRAL (here and here), CBS 17, ABC 11 (here and here), Spectrum News 1, WUNC, and the Indy Week covered the story.

As we envision alternatives to policing, Team Emancipate also fights for reforms that can more immediately make our communities safer. We raised six demands of Raleigh in this press conference, including the creation of a HEART team — external to the police department — similar to Durham’s:

An infographic with red background reads: top, demands for RPD and the city of Raleigh; left, final demand overdue; right, a list 1-6 of demands, top to bottom stop proactive policing, remove tasers from RPD, fire killer cops, prosecute killer cops, cops get individual professional liability insurance, create HEARTS team of non cops

And this past Saturday, January 28, Team Emancipate united with our community, harnessed the collective grief and anger felt following Williams’ murder and that of Tyre Nichols, and took to the streets to uplift these demands. We told the media how these deaths are connected by systemic racism that denies Black humanity, asserting our narrative in the News & Observer, AOL, CBS 17, and ABC 11.

Three images side by side. Left to right: a Black man with an Atlanta Braves hat and jean jacket speaks into a megaphone with another Black man in black hoodie standing behind him; the same man in Black hoodie speaks into a megaphone in front of a crowd holding signs saying "Blue Lives Murder," "Defund Police," and calling for arrest of officers; the same man speaks into megaphone at the front of a crowd marching and carrying signs.
Image credit: Matt Ramey, the News & Observer, Bob Karp