Thread by @AWKWORDrap

#AndrewJosephIII was a beloved honor roll student and athlete.

February 7, 2014, the 14-year-old Black child was murdered

And police did nothing; he was already their *target*.

For years, the Joseph family has fought for justice — to no avail.

Today, we share their story

🧵

2/7/14 was Students Day at the Florida State Fair in Tampa.

That’s when county sheriffs targeted, harassed, searched, photographed and kidnapped #AndrewJosephIII and 98 other Black children — as young as 8

And abandoned them on the side of a busy interstate, 2 miles away

After being stranded by cops 2 miles from his ride home on 2/7/14, #AndrewJosephIII was forced to cross a busy highway

And was struck and killed by a white motorist.

The cops did not arrest or even breathalyze the driver

And they didn’t call Andrew’s frantic parents.

For more than 8 years, the berieved family of #AndrewJosephIII has been fighting for justice “as the police responsible for his death elude accountability under the veil of qualified immunity” - @DocMellyMel

The trial starts September 12, 2022.

It carries a lot of weight:

For years the Joseph family has worked with @Blklivesmatter/@BLMLA, @Dreamdefenders, @ChildDefender and others

Because their struggle is part of a larger movement.

Black, Indigenous and brown kids should be valued.

And cops must be held accountable.

https://twitter.com/awkwordrap/status/1492166295768469512

On the road to abolition

@TENDEMANDS 3: Eliminate Discriminatory Policing, Prosecution, and Sentencing

4: Institute Law Enforcement Transparency and Accountability

5: Independently Investigate Police Crimes and Abuses of Power

6: Install Community Representation and Oversight

https://twitter.com/tendemands/status/1371917606932918277

Orgs throughout the country — including @EndingQI and @endqiny — are focused on ending #QualifiedImmunity

Which is critical to chipping away at the PIC toward a more humanist society.

Of course, even when cops *do* get fired, they simply ‘wander’ down the block to the next PD

https://twitter.com/awkwordrap/status/1564724714697854983

So, what can we do?

1. Never call the cops (@WhocanIcall)

2. Take the @TENDEMANDS to your city council (tenforjustice.com/take-action)

3. Join an abolitionist group in your area (@TDAbolitionist)

4. Court watch

5. Cop watch

6. Join, donate to, or start a mutual aid group

AND…

To provide in-person court support to the family of #AndrewJosephIII, sign up here: bit.ly/aj-support

To help end qualified immunity nationwide by emailing Congress in support of the End Qualified Immunity Act, use this link: tinyurl.com/cosponsoreqi