DETROIT – The following is the ACLU of Michigan’s response to the jury’s inability to reach a verdict in the killing of Congolese refugee Patrick Lyoya, and the court declaring a mistrial:
Despite devoting considerable time and energy to the effort to reach a verdict in the killing of Patrick Lyoya by former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr, the jury was unable to do so. The mistrial leaves continued pain and uncertainty in our community.
But what the mistrial does not change is the fact that the death of Mr. Lyoya, a beloved son, brother and father of two, who came to this country in search of a better life, was both preventable and predictable. True accountability means a commitment by the City of Grand Rapids and its police department to real and lasting policing reform - a commitment evidenced by no more lives lost.
To prevent more harm and deaths – the community has suffered so much already – we need systemic reform. We must demand that our state lawmakers pass common sense police accountability bills that prohibit pursuit of people who pose no imminent threat or danger to the officer or others. Police practices should be designed to reduce rather than increase the likelihood of violence. If those bills had been law, they could have prevented the circumstances that resulted in Mr. Lyoya’s death.
We also need to change policing policies in Grand Rapids, including using non-police resources like mental health counselors for situations that don’t require armed officers and increasing civilian oversight and accountability. Most importantly, the community must have a seat at the table when decisions are made about how public safety dollars are spent and what goes into police union contracts.
This is a moment of grief and confusion for many people in our community. We urge patience, understanding and empathy for those in the community who are reckoning with the mistrial in this case against the backdrop of the long history of a tendency by juries in this country to either rush to judgment, or to deliberate with caution based on the racial identities of those who are accused and those who are victims. We call on the City of Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Police Department to not only respect the right to speak out, but to empathize with those who see the mistrial as unjust, and to handle any community gatherings and protests with great sensitivity.
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