She said she spent time in a refugee camp with Olango and that both of them suffered getting to the United States. The victim was identified as Alfred Olango, a refugee from Uganda, as dozens of demonstrators protesting his killing gathered outside the police station in El Cajon, holding signs that read "No Killer Cops!" and chanting "no justice, no peace," and "black lives matter."Īgnes Hassan, originally from Sudan, described Olango as an educated man with mental problems. Police have said the man refused to comply with instructions to remove a hand from his pants pocket, paced back and forth, then rapidly drew an object from the pocket, placed both hands together and extended them in a "shooting stance." The officers simultaneously fired a handgun and an electric stun gun. but did not immediately respond because they had other calls for service. He said police received the report about the mentally unstable person at 12:57 p.m. Ransweiler says the shooting happened at 2:11 p.m. Rob Ransweiler said two officers arrived at the scene at about 2:10 p.m. (AP) - Police in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon shot and killed a black man a minute after arriving near a strip mall to investigate a report of a mentally unstable person walking in and out of traffic, an official said Wednesday.Įl Cajon Police Department spokesman Lt. He currently serves as president of the San Diego Schools Police Officers’ Association.Black man shot dead in California just after police arrivedĮL CAJON, Calif. He’s worked with several law enforcement agencies over the past 24 years in various roles. Gresham is a detective with San Diego Unified School District’s Police Department. “A golden cage is still a cage.” As a Black man in America, I feel just as naked as my ancestors did when they stood in shackles on the auction block over 400 years ago. I stand here humbled, angry, frustrated, and yet I’m still thankful for having a voice “to speak up and speak out.” No matter where I go in this country, I’ll never truly be free. When you see me, who do you see? You see me in and out of my uniform. We have to change the mentality of our culture. People are being heard and others are ready to listen. How did we get to this moment? I’ll say this for the first time, I actually feel hopeful we may be able to have change for the better. Thanks to protests from the courageous Blacks in history who had enough and pushed back on the system, we have achieved the things we have as of today. The struggle of I’m too Black to be blue, but too blue to be Black. I had the audacity to put a badge on my chest, when it makes people feel so uncomfortable. More importantly, I am a Black police officer and a Black man. My job was to make sure their lives were better than my life.Īfter the military, I decided to become a police officer. They had no idea what it meant to be Black in America until they had their own experiences. They were Black kids in America, I knew and carried their burden for them. Not one time did I ever falter on any of my parental responsibilities. I raised my kids after I divorced their mom. I worked multiple jobs to do what I needed to do. It’s tough being a Black man and a Black father in America. I appreciate and cherish that portion of my life. Over the years, I’ve allowed myself to welcome diversity with open arms. For the first time, my life wasn’t a black and white TV. I felt that was my way out into the world. I just tucked it away and moved on.Īt the age of 17, I joined the U.S. The woman responded, “Is this Jarvis?” I replied, “Yes, ma’am.” She said, “Do me a favor, I know you are a (racial slur) so don’t ever call my house again.” I hung up the phone and forever had my life changed. A woman answered the phone, “Hello.” I asked to speak to my friend. When I was 14, I liked this girl, and she happened to be white. All I knew was my neighborhoods were Black and that white people lived on the other side of town. As a young boy, I had no clue of what discrimination was. All she could do was give us her love and raise us the best way she knew how. My mother got divorced around the age of 28. I was raised by a single mom with four kids.
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