Grieving Mother’s Account of Son Killed by Rantoul Police
Little did I know that when I started Sentences, two Black youth would be killed this year by police in Rantoul—an alarming display of state violence for any community, but especially so for this small town.
Other media outlets go to police chiefs or prosecutors for a quote. I go straight to the families who are impacted by police violence. These are the voices left out of mainstream media accounts.
Support for my Substack newsletter has enabled me to cover these important stories in a way nobody else does. Consider making a donation today!
Read my interview with the mother of Jordan Richardson, who describes watching her son die from a police bullet as she was told she could not go near him because his body was “evidence.”
This comes just four months after Azaan Lee was killed by Rantoul police under questionable circumstances.
The day my story was published, Amy Richardson found out her son made the honor roll. He had just graduated high school. Jordan Richardson had a bright future. He should be alive to receive this recognition.
Body cam footage is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for a follow up.
Working Diligently
It’s been a while since my last writing for Sentences. I have been working diligently on an article for The Appeal about jail closures in the wake of bail reform. We are anxiously awaiting a decision by the Illinois Supreme Court on the fate of the Pretrial Fairness Act, which was supposed to take effect January 1, 2022, but prosecutors filed a lawsuit. News is expected any day now. In other states, jail populations have dropped as much as 30-40% as a result of bail reform. My article asks, what happens when smaller communities can no longer afford to keep their jails open due to falling populations?
Since my coverage of the hunger strike at the Champaign County jail, a new organization called Community Justice Advocates has come together. We have a renewed local prison phone justice campaign. We talked to two activists in Wisconsin who are trying to implement free phone calls at their county jails. Members of our group met with Sheriff Dustin Heuerman about having input on an RFP for a new jail phone contract to be renegotiated in the next year. Working with the Champaign County Bailout Coalition, we got the sheriff to update his webpage to clarify the bail policy. There are several other issues we are addressing. Reach out to me if you would like to join our group.