UNICORN RIOT Profile picture
Jan 11, 2022 15 tweets 7 min read Read on X
“I personally think he was too good for this Earth” said Justine Crook, who celebrates her 30th birthday today but for the first time without her twin brother, Justin, who was one of at least 10 people who died last year in Pima County Jail.

Full story: unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-death… Image
In late May 2021, Justin Crook (J-Mac Tha Coldest) had a seizure in a Lyft on his way home from work. The Lyft driver called 911. Tucson police arrived & beat, tased, & arrested Crook. Less than 24 hours later, he was found dead in a Pima County Jail cell. unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-death…
10 people died in Pima County Jail in 2021—more than in any single year in at least the last decade, acc. to info released by the Pima Co. Sheriff’s Dept & a @Reuters investigation. Families have come together in support & to push back on the violence inflicted on their families.
After his death in jail, Justin Crook's mother, Jennifer Graham, said Pima County Jail officials and the sheriff “acted like it was my fault that my son was dead.”

She's since filed a $10 million medical neglect claim against the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Image
In Tucson, Arizona on November 27 & December 31, 2021 groups of dozens of family members and their supporters gathered in front of the Pima County Adult Detention Complex to hold vigils in memory of their loved ones and to demand change.

Full story: unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-death… ImageImageImageImage
As is the case with most people who die within this country’s sprawling apparatus of jails, prisons & detention centers, the details of Crook’s death remain opaque-the role of government agents in his death obscured behind legalistic & bureaucratic jargon. unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-death… Image
The autopsy report in Crook’s case found evidence of numerous “blunt force injuries” that substantiate Crook’s statements to medical staff about having been beaten by TPD officers during his arrest. Details of his arrest are uncertain and TPD refused to release information. Image
Justin Crook’s family members report that when he had seizures, he would come out of them disoriented and upset, a situation that could contribute to a dangerous encounter with the police if they respond, as they so often do, with aggression rather than medical care. Image
The medical examiner’s autopsy & toxicology reports state Crook’s body contained many times the average single dose of methamphetamines - According to the findings, Crook consumed enough meth for the medical examiner to rule that he died of “acute methamphetamine intoxication.” Image
The Pima County Medical Examiner ruled Crook’s death an accident. His mother doesn’t accept that explanation: “How do you overdose from methamphetamine intoxication when he was on their property for 30 hours? That makes no sense.” She doesn’t think the jail’s story adds up. Image
Nearly a year before Justin Crook died in Pima County Jail, he punched a guard and was subsequently beaten. This is video of Crook punching the guard and the guards reactions. The video also features Crook's interview with a deputy after the incident. vimeo.com/658911301
[CW: Violence] Justin Crook's mother believes that her son’s death in Pima County Jail in 2021 may be related to Crook being beaten in the jail in 2020 after he punched a guard in the face.

“They ended up beating the crap out of my son...Put him in the hospital” said Crook's mom Image
Crook punched the guard because he disrespected his friend Anthony Garrett [pic] who was killed by security guards in '19.

Crook said to a deputy: “I miss my friend. I’m not gonna be cool with nobody disrespecting his presence. I’m willing to die for that. OK? So I almost did.” Image
As a result of the altercation at the jail, Crook was charged w/ “Aggravated Assault on a Corrections Employee,” a class 5 felony.

In December 2020, Crook pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of “Attempt to Commit Aggravated Assault on a Corrections Employee,” a class 6 felony. Image
“He could just sit there all day & read a book,” said Justine Crook, Justin's twin sister. “He was the smartest person I’ve ever known.”

“I feel like God took him because he was way too good to walk this Earth.”

Justin Crook would have turned 30 today.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with UNICORN RIOT

UNICORN RIOT Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @UR_Ninja

Dec 17
NEW: Groundbreaking for a Minneapolis Youth-Serving Community Staple

For nearly three decades, the educational nonprofit WE WIN Institute has been nomadic, serving youth in Minneapolis out of rented spaces. But that era is coming to a close — on November 19, 2024, WE WIN held a groundbreaking event for their new building in Minneapolis’ Bryn Mawr neighborhood. Unicorn Riot was there to document the historic occasion and interview board members, organization partners and a former student-turned-staff. 🧵
Founded in 1996 by award-winning educator Titilayo Bediako, WE WIN Institute has served thousands of youth in Minneapolis with in-school, after school, summer school, tutoring and more. WE WIN recently broke ground on a new building they can call home. unicornriot.ninja/2024/groundbre…
Known locally for its vivacious Kwanzaa Celebrations, large urban garden, Harvest Fest, and back-to-school and Black-authored book give-away events, WE WIN has also offered parent groups, tutoring, entrepreneurial programming, a litany of arts related programming, as well as cooking, gardening and mentoring.

UR interviewed WE WIN's founder and Ex. Director Titi Bediako during Juneteenth celebrations in North Minneapolis in 2020. WE WIN handed out 500 books by Black authors for free to the community.
Read 12 tweets
Oct 23
🧵: Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff (now Jennifer Kerkhoff Muyskens) oversaw the failed prosecution of over 200 Trump inauguration protesters on felony conspiracy riot charges, with demonstrators and journalists facing ~80yrs for being around when others broke windows.
The #J20 case collapsed when it came to light that Kerkhoff, working with her star witness DC Police Detective Greggory Pemberton (also a police union official), had *altered and deleted exculpatory evidence* and lied about it to the court repeatedly:

unicornriot.ninja/2018/prosecuto…
The hidden evidence was portions of an undercover video taken by an operative of right-wing disinformation group Project Veritas during a planning meeting for Trump inauguration protests, which Kerkhoff said implicated all protesters present that day in a violent conspiracy.
Read 5 tweets
Aug 21
A march of several dozen Palestine protesters is moving near the Morton Salt Shed (@saltshedchicago) which is a heavily secured location where Democratic delegates are partying on night 2 of the #DNC - an entry point to the convention is also nearby
A small group of masked protesters stand in an intersection holding a banner that reads “Israel Bombs Illinois Pays” in red and green text on a white banner - bike cops are seen speeding past behind them. In the background a banner on a post reads “Democrats Deliver”
A small crowd of protesters marches through the street at night holding the aforementioned banner past The Salt Shed - a large building about a block long with an an industrial style roof that reads “MORTON SALT” in big letters
The venue is hosting a large party hosted by the Pritzkers with John Legend reportedly performing tonight per corporate media reports - protesters chant “if we don’t get no justice, you don’t get no peace” as CPD on bikes form up to separate them from #DNC partygoers


About a dozen DNC delegates or attendees with suits and lanyards or other nice dress standing in front of an building
A bunch of cops and/or event security standing around in a street. One female officer shown from behind has a leashed dog and.m a back uniform patch reading “USCG K-9”
A line of bike cops formed up against protesters holding a banner in an intersection
Protesters seen from behind holding up a cloth banner with Chicago cops holding bikes lined up facing them - the Salt Shed’s lit up sign visible across the street
A noise demo outside a DNC event at the Salt Shed where John Legend is performing as part of convention programming tonight - 10 Illinois State Police just turned up


Diverse group of protesters march with megaphones and Covid masks holding a banner reading “War Criminals Not Welcome in Chicago” as bike police in the street get pretty darn close to the group
A group of protesters wearing masks and holding various kinds of drums march in the street past the lit up venue roof sign for the Salt Shed. Bike cops visible at back of shot
A protester wearing a balaclava holds a banner in front of a Chicago cop with a bike helmet and vest on - tent style canopy over DNC entrance and “democrats deliver” sign in background
10 or so Illinois State Troopers with Dudley Do-Right style hats standing in middle of the street in front of the Salt Shed
Read 12 tweets
Jul 12
Nyah Mway, a 13-year-old refugee, was killed by police in Utica, NY the day after he graduated from middle school.

Learn more here: unicornriot.ninja/2024/protests-…
On the evening of June 28, Mway and his friend were stopped by three police officers from the Utica Police Department and two Oneida County Deputy Sheriffs on their walk home from a Bible study class and a graduation party.
Body camera footage was released by UPD, but only from three of the officers who were on the scene. The footage shows a pedestrian stop, otherwise known as a stop-and-frisk — a controversial tactic of interrogating and searching someone based solely on “reasonable suspicion.”
Read 6 tweets
Jun 29
A year ago French police killed Nahel Merzouk, 17, during a traffic stop, leading to a week of mass revolt.

A pattern of deadly traffic stops in France show that police in the U.S. aren’t the only authority figures who regularly kill Black motorists.🧵

unicornriot.ninja/2023/french-po…
The two French police officers who killed Nahel Merzouk on June 27, 2023 initially stated that they were in danger of being run over and fired in self-defense. However, video footage from witnesses shows a different version of the story. Both officers were standing to the side of the car as it started moving again and one of them fired the shots. The car continued to move for about 50 meters and then crashed into a pole. The driver was killed instantly, one of the two other passengers escaped and the third was arrested.

The arrested passenger in the car says one officer urged the other to shoot Nahel at point-blank range. The youth alleged that “the first officer asked Nahel to roll down the window. He told him ‘turn off the engine or I will shoot you’. And he hit him with the gun. Then the second officer arrived and stood in front of the windshield at Nahel’s height. From there, the first officer standing at the level of the window put a gun to his temple and said “don’t move or I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

He went on to report that the second officer told him “shoot him,” and when a frightened Nahel let his foot off the pedal, which was an automatic and not in a parked position, it started moving and the officer in front of the vehicle fired point blank.

Full story from 2023: unicornriot.ninja/2023/french-po…Monument at the traffic pole where Nahel Merzouk’s car crashed after he was fatally shot by French police on June 27, 2023, in La Defense, Paris. A sign reads “How many Nahels have not been filmed?” Photo taken July 2, 2023, contributed by Yegor Halva.
The man who killed Nahel Merzouk is 38-year-old police officer Florian Menesplier. Menesplier previously served in Afghanistan under France’s 35th infantry regiment and was a motorcyclist with the Direction de l’ordre public et de la circulation (DOPC, Directorate of Public Order and Traffic). Before that he belonged to the compagnie de sécurisation et d’intervention 93 (CSI 93, Security and Intervention Unit 93), which was ordered to disband in 2020.

The unit was the subject of 17 judicial investigations for “violence, racist remarks, unlawful arrests, extortion of dealers” and more. He was also a member of the BRAV-M (Motorized Brigades for the Repression of Violent Action), a unit decried for its violence during the Yellow Vests movement, which he joined shortly after its creation on October 1, 2020.

Full story - French Police Kill Teen During Traffic Stop, Leading to Mass Revolt: unicornriot.ninja/2023/french-po…Florian Menesplier poses for a picture while serving in Afghanistan. Menesplier went on to be a French police officer and killed teenager Nahel Merzouk in the summer of 2023.
Read 11 tweets
Jun 14
🔎 New investigation 🔎
Cobwebs Spy Software Locks Onto Protesters:
Israeli Social Media Mining Contract with Homeland Security Revealed
Israeli Firm “Cobwebs” Linked to 2020 Protests, Provides Monitoring Services to Homeland Security for Tracking Dissenters
An Israeli spy software tech firm licenses web surveillance tools to law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The software contract shows new details about this sensitive technology DHS has used to spy on activists during the last several years. Story:
unicornriot.ninja/2024/cobwebs-s…
Last year, Unicorn Riot reported how Cobwebs, a privately owned Israeli spyware firm, helped the Department of Homeland Security monitor the online presences of Americans—including protesters and journalists.
[Aug 2023]unicornriot.ninja/2023/aimed-at-…
Read 21 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(