July, 29 2015, 10:45am EDT
Civil Rights Group Calls for the Immediate Release of Body Camera Footage Related to the Killing of Sam Dubose
Cincinnati, OH
ColorOfChange.org joins calls from the Dubose family, local Cincinnati leaders and members of press for the public release of the body camera footage that shows the tragic death of Sam Dubose. Sam Dubose was shot in the head by University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing on July 19 during a traffic stop, local officials have not said on what date or how they will release the footage.
Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorOfChange.org issued the following statement:
"It is unacceptable that neither the Dubose family nor the public have seen any official video footage of Sam Dubose's traffic stop and subsequent shooting. Officials have mounted a full scale public relations campaign--cherry picking and releasing footage that shows the officer being 'polite and courteous,' during other stops--but they still refuse to release footage that shows what happened the day he killed Sam Dubose. The public has a right to all information relating to Sam's violent death, not bits and pieces of information given to us by those who have a vested interest in covering up what really happened.
"Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters's decision to withhold the video expressly violates Ohio's public records laws and denies the Dubose family the answers that they deserve. The use of body cameras by police departments should allow for justice and truth, not more cover ups, lies and PR for the police. In a world where Black people are stereotyped as 'violent' and police exist to enforce the boundaries of a divided and racist society, families like the Dubose's deserve to know exactly what happened to their loved ones, and they deserve justice.
"We will continue to call on the prosecutor and other local officials to adhere to Ohio laws, the repeated requests of the Dubose family and the public, by releasing the body camera footage related to Sam Dubose's death immediately."
Color Of Change is the nation's largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over one million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.
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