The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following statement on behalf of Chair Lavora Barnes on the shooting of Patrick Lyoya.
“Patrick Lyoya was a father, a son, and a community member – his life was valuable and my sincerest condolences to his family and to the community of Grand Rapids. Patrick did not deserve the injustice of being executed for a simple traffic violation. No person in America, regardless of ethnicity, race, or skin color deserves to live in fear of being killed by law enforcement for a nonviolent offense. Nonetheless, we again see another Black life taken too soon as a result of a police officer’s poor judgment, inept training, and inability to engage in effective community policing.”
As State Sen. Marshall Bullock, D-Detroit, chairman of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, highlighted, “Justice cannot exist in a system where accountability and proper training for the police who are supposed to protect and defend an entire community — and not just people who look like them — is an afterthought.”
“Mr. Lyoya’s death is another glaring reminder that our criminal justice system is broken. We must no longer ignore the need to pass effective public policy reforms to fix broken systematic policing practices. Failure to elect state and federal lawmakers with the insight to adopt real policy reforms is costing the lives of Black men and women everyday. We must turn this pain into power. We continue to stand with all Michiganders seeking justice through the courts and substantive policing reforms in our great state.”
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