Police Militarization Protest/Vigil Held at Home Depot

 

Church Group Remembers Yuvette Henderson, Calls For End to Police Militarization

An interfaith protest and vigil was held today in the parking lot of Emeryville's Home Depot in response to the building of a militarized police facility known as ‘Cop City’ in Atlanta Georgia and in memory of Yuvette Henderson, an African-American grandmother who was killed by Emeryville police with an assault rifle at the site in 2015.  About 40 gathered for the peaceful event where speeches were given and candles were held.

Candles and petitions were handed out.

The city of Atlanta wants to build the $90 million Cop City police training facility against intense local and national public backlash.   If completed, it will be the largest militarized police training center of its kind in the country.  Home Depot has donated more than $360,000 to the Atlanta Police Foundation to assist in the building of the controversial training facility.

The event included a vigil for Yuvette Henderson who was killed by EPD after she was accused of shoplifting at the Home Depot.  According to forensic court testimony, Emeryville police officers followed the grandmother to a site just outside Emeryville’s border where they ordered her to drop a handgun she had.  Despite the fact that Ms Henderson never pointed the gun at the officers, they first turned off their body worn cameras and then began firing.  One of the shots shattered Ms Henderson’s right arm, sending the gun flying back about 6 feet behind her as she fell forward facing the police.  The police fired the kill shot to the head with an AR-15 after she lifted her head, attempting to get up.   After an investigation by EPD that cleared the police, Federal Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu ruled "Henderson did not pose an immediate threat to [the police officers] and because she was unarmed and wounded and because although she carried a gun, she had not previously fired or aimed at [the officers]."  The case was eventually settled with a $210,000 payment to the Henderson family by the City of Emeryville.

The assistant manager at the Home Depot blocked the entrance to the store as the group attempted to deliver to the store  manager more than 600 signed petitions about the corporation’s involvement with Cop City.  The assistant manager told the leaders of the group he would forward the petitions to the manager.

The protest/vigil was led by the American Friends Service Committee, a community interface arm of the Quaker Church.  The AFSC works with people of all faiths and backgrounds to challenge unjust systems and promote peace.  “We oppose the continued militarization and expansion of a policing strategy that harms our communities, as well as the continued destruction of protected forests” the group’s website said of the Cop City proposal.

After delivery of the petitions, the group dispersed.

John Lindsay-Poland, a representative from 
AFSC, spoke in memory of Yuvette Henderson.