Justice For Kionte Spencer: A Struggle Against Police Terror in Roanoke (10.26.18)

The struggle for justice for Kionte Spencer exposed the entire system. It showed us in Roanoke how things really run in this system, as well as the power of and need for independent peoples’ organizations.

On February 26, 2016, Kionte Spencer, an 18 yr-old senior at Hidden Valley High School living in a group home, was killed by Roanoke County Police. At the time, Kionte was walking down a busy street in the area he lived (which is 88% white) listening to music with headphones on and *supposedly* holding a broken toy gun. Someone called the police saying he was waving a gun at cars, Roanoke County cops drove up behind him, *supposedly* deployed two tasers that didn’t work and then shot him three times killing him.

From the events of his killing to now, Roanoke County Police Dept (RCPD) and especially Chief Howard Hall have been grossly negligent, inconsistent with their stories, have lacked transparency, and predictably made it as difficult as possible for Kionte’s family to get information let alone any type of justice. The names of the cops who killed him and the dashcam video footage have still, to this day, never been released to the public. RCPD and Chief Hall are responsible for the death of a teenager and high school student, and have faced absolutely no official consequences.

This local struggle has shown us, if any still had doubts or misunderstandings, that the nature and function of the police here in Roanoke is the same as police in Ferguson, Detroit, NYC, St. Louis or anywhere else in the so-called U.S.: to enforce the status quo of profit and property over people (capitalism), at the disproportionate expense of some groups over others (white supremacy), via legalized violence. RCPD did not protect the community that night; they do not keep us safe, nor deserve our trust or funding.

The Beginning of Solidarity

There was not just one, but a number of groups who stood up against this injustice. The Roanoke Branch of the NAACP was among the first to find out and reach out to Kionte’s only known relative at the time, his brother Carl. With his direction they came up with the first two community demands and organized a press conference to make them public. The following day RCPD announced they would not release the officers’ names.

As word spread, other folks in the community were rightfully outraged and came together and coordinated with Carl to form a grassroots group called Justice For Kionte (JFK), consisting of community organizers (some of us in 15 Now Roanoke, human rights orgs like Plowshare Peace & Justice Center and a newer coalition called Citizens’ Convention), as well as religious leaders and everyday people not part of any group in Roanoke. The NAACP & JFK then hosted a vigil and another press conference to announce the third community demand.
1. Release the names of the police officers involved
2. Release the dashcam videos
3. Independent Investigation

JFK held a gathering & speakout a week later at a park near where he was killed, where all of us shared insightful thoughts: from neighborhood kids who knew Kionte to older religious folks to middle-aged organizers; many (re)affirmed the weight of this tragedy, how it made folks (especially the kids) feel, our collective doubt in the kops’ version of the story, the insecurity and unjust nature of the police institution itself, and some ideas for how and who to pressure for the demands.

 

 

RCPD Investigates Themselves (of course)

While RCPD investigated themselves for the next 3 months, JFK focused on educating more people in Roanoke that this happened, and encouraging people to call Chief Hall in support of the 3 basic demands. In April, the NAACP held a 3rd press conference to announce their plan to file a complaint with the Dept of Justice (DOJ). In May, a number of folks went to a Roanoke Co. Board of Supervisors meeting to give testimonies and demand accountability and their intervention only to get cold and bureacratic indifference *as was expected*. “Trust the process” they said..

On 5.25.16, RCPD held a closed press conference at the Roanoke Co. “Public Safety Center” to announce the conclusion of their self-investigation, inviting only 4 selected members of the media. Cops had prepared a “designated protest area” apparently expecting a response like that of Baltimore or Ferguson communities; unfortunately they weren’t given that as only a small number of us went there. Upon arriving, cops came out of the building to say we couldn’t enter. Then one of us went to place a JFK banner [pictured above] next to the Public Safety Center sign and 2 cops immediately walked up with their hands on their guns and told him to put his hands in the air, as if what was needed was more escalation from RCPD. Soon after we heard the predictable outcome: they found themselves innocent of any wrong-doing..

 

 

Community Response to No Charges for RCPD

On June 13, 2016, JFK held multiple actions. In the morning, a few members brought a petition with 400 signatures to the US Attorney for Roanoke, John Fishwick, requesting his & the DOJ’s help in meeting the community demands; in the afternoon we held a “Peoples’ Press Conference” to announce a community response to the cops’ conclusion of their investigation of themselves. The response had been endorsed by a variety of people including doctors, nurses, reverends and organizers, and not just folks in Roanoke but across the country. It’s also significant to note that two presidential candidates (both of whom are socialists), Monica Moorehead (Workers World Party) and Mary Scully (Independent Socialist) endorsed the bare-minimum demands for transparency, accountability and justice, while none of our current local, state or federal “leaders” ever did. In fact Trump and Clinton, Republicans and Democrats have both increased the militarization of police, allowed and encouraged state violence, and expanded the powers and impunity of “law and order”.

 

 

Where’s The Justice: DOJ

In July & August 2016, after getting no response from the US Attorney, we took it to their office multiple times to demand federal assistance from the DOJ in getting the community demands met. The first time we went (7.11.16) we were greeted by multiple Homeland Security officers in SWAT gear who, when asked, said they aren’t normally in his office, and Attorney John Fishwick wasn’t there. Two days later Fishwick “recused” himself from Kionte’s case, giving over control to Rick Mountcastle. The next few times folks rallied in front of the building with more support but zero interaction with the U.S. Attorney. Around the same time the NAACP and ACLU wrote a letter to Governor McAuliffe asking for state intervention.

 

 

Can’t Depend On The State, We Keep Us Safe

On Kionte’s birthday (10.26.16), when he would’ve turned 19 years young, we hosted “Kionte’s Day“, a gathering to share memories of and celebrate him, highlight the past 8 months of struggle and give updates of where things were at. It was the first chance for many of us in JFK to meet Kionte’s biological mother. She came in from out-of-town for the event and shared her thoughts, pain and grief about losing her youngest son. She noted that a few months before he was killed she had gotten in touch with his group home about him moving in with her as he was turning 18 soon, which they *unneededly* discouraged, and apparently didn’t even discuss with Kionte?..

In November 2016, after 5 months of pressure, the DOJ finally announced they had done a “review” (not an independent investigation) of Kionte’s case and released their findings stating there was “insufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that officers acted willfully with a bad purpose to violate federal law. Accordingly, the federal review of this incident has been closed without prosecution.”

 

 

Peoples’ Rally Against Police Violence

In December 2016, and as a response to the fact that no one in the local, state or federal arenas had been of any help in pursuing some type of justice for Kionte and his family or the 3 basic demands, members of JFK, 15 Now Roanoke, Raise Up (Richmond), New River Workers Power (Blacksburg), C.A.R.E. & Citizens Preserving Rockbridge County (Lexington), Showing Up for Racial Justice (Charlottesville) and other community members in Roanoke organized a “Peoples’ Rally Against Police Violence” in Melrose Park. Folks shared personal stories about harassment or abuse they’ve faced and seen, and reminded each other we are all we have to depend on, and though in some light that can seem depressing and overwhelming, it is also powerful; as they are few, we are many.

 

 

Takeaways

The lessons we learned are unfortunately not new for any oppressed or marginalized persons in the so-called U.S.. Pursuing justice through the “appropriate” channels (petitioning and pleading to RCPD, Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, VA Governor McAuliffe, and US Attorney/DOJ) for a young Black student killed by cops brought zero accountability, transparency or justice; it did, however, expose the system and their sham process to us. White supremacy is in embedded in the police institution (including RCPD) regardless of specific cops and their personal tendencies. This was glaringly illustrated in April 2017, when a white guy twice Kionte’s size and age (Kyle Waldron) was pulled over for a D.U.I. on the same street Kionte was killed (Electric Rd.), pointed a loaded REAL gun at cops, even fired a shot, and RCPD managed to not kill him..

We cannot depend on the state to keep us safe or be accountable for their violence against us, as the system protects itself and those who occupy those positions. Roanoke County Police withheld the names of the officers who were responsible and involved, withheld the multiple dashcam videos from the public and his living family (only playing a compilation of edited footage for his brother when faced with legal pressure from the ACLU), faced no official consequences, and the killers are back on the streets, quite possibly trying to build *false* trust with kids in schools, and no doubt emboldened to do the same thing to anyone else at their own discretion. Kionte Spencer’s life mattered. His death is a tragedy in Roanoke. The injustice of his murder is one of the reasons #WhyTheyKneel, and one of the reasons we organize.

Timeline

2.26.16 – RCPigsD kill Kionte
2.29.16 – RCPigsD tell public he had a BB gun
3.1.16 – NAACP hosts press conference with the first two community demands:

1. Release the names of the officers involved
2. Release the dashcam video

3.2.16 – RCPigsD say they won’t release the officers’ names and JFK (Justice For Kionte) is
formed
3.4.16 – NAACP hosts vigil
3.9.16 – NAACP hosts 2nd press conference with third community demand:

3. Independent investigation

3.13.16 – JFK hosts Community Gathering & Remembrance
4.26.16 – NAACP files complaint with DOJ and holds 3rd press conference
5.4.16 – RCPigsD confirm they won’t release officers’ names or the dashcam videos
5.24.16 – Community members speak out at Roanoke Co. Board of Supervisors meeting
5.25.16 – RCPigsD conclude investigation of themselves, hold a private press conference, and unsurprisingly announce they found no “wrong-doing”
6.13.16 – JFK meets w/US Attorney and gives a letter to demand they do something; JFK also hosts a Peoples’ Press Conference
7.11.16 – JFK goes back to US Attorney office for response
7.13.16 – US Attorney John Fishwick “recuses himself” from Kionte’s case
7.18.16 – JFK goes back to US Attorney office
7.26.16 – NAACP & ACLU write letter to Gov McAuliffe appealing to him to order an independent investigation
8.1.16 – JFK goes back to US Attorney office
8.31.16 – NAACP & ACLU write letter to DOJ demanding a federal investigation
9.27.16 – Kionte’s brother Carl is finally shown dashcam video, but it’s edited and a compilation
10.22.16 – JFK hosts “Kionte’s Day”
11.4.16 – DOJ announces they’re closing their “review” finding no civil rights issues
12.10.16 – JFK hosts Peoples’ Rally Against Police Violence
2.26.17 – JFK & NAACP host vigil on 1-yr anniversary