Patrick Lyoya Did Not Deserve This

WOW. WOW. WOW. Every single week when I am about to write an uplifting and inspiring blog post about what I am cooking or what I am up to, my path changes as I am needed in the fight for racial justice and equality. Sadly, this week is no different and I have to talk about the death of Patrick Lyoya in the hands of police. This was a murder in broad daylight by a Grand Rapids Police officer. Plain and simple. Patrick Lyoya was pulled over by an officer for not having correct license plates on his car. This simple traffic stop escalated into a physical altercation where the officer thought Lyoya was resisting arrest and grabbing his taser. Based on the video footage released by the Grand Rapids Police Department, Even if the physical altercation was justified by the officer, the shooting was not. Patrick Lyoya was pinned to the ground and in custody when the officer shot him in the back of the head. He was not a threat to the officer at that specific moment and shooting him was not the way to solve it. I am going to say that again: shooting him was not the way to solve the incident. Patrick Lyoya deserves to be here today; a traffic stop should not be a death sentence for Black Americans.

The even worse part about this story is that Patrick Lyoya’s parents now have to bury him and deal with the pain of his death. They immigrated from The Democratic Republic of Congo in search of a better life for themselves and their son. Patrick Lyoya’s Mom thought she would be buried by her son; in reality she is the one burying him. They thought that America would be safer than their own home and though they could build a life here. They believed they could escape persecution and racism. In reality, America is not safe. Police Officers use lethal force way too often and in situations where they should not. This death was avoidable like almost every single other one in the hands of police. But sadly, we live in a society where police justify using lethal force daily. We live in a society where people are allowed to have weapons of mass destruction and then use them to kill people. This is happening from coast to coast. And it has to stop.

Watching the video that the police released as well as the footage released from the passenger of Lyoya’s vehicle, I cried. This death should not have happen. Patrick was already on the ground pinned by the cop. Why did he deserve to be shot? From both videos it was clear to me that this was a simple traffic stop that should not have escalated to what it did. We need to do something about deaths in the hands of police. Because, whatever we are currently doing to solve it has not worked. People need to continue to advocate for changes and pack the streets. People need to demand accountability and action. Until we make real change happen, do not give up. If we do not put pressure now, America will continue to be a blood bath.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Patrick Lyoya’s family. I hope they can heal and come to peace with his untimely death. This is such a sad situation and I wish the outcome was different. But it is not and here we are yet again. I hope the officer is fired and criminally charged promptly for murdering Patrick Lyoya. Because if he is not this will continue to be acceptable in America. While today is a sad day, we cannot give up in our fight for justice and equality. If we do, America will not change like we need it to.