One year ago today, Cordale Handy was killed by the Saint Paul Police Department while experiencing a mental health emergency. Four months ago, it was announced that the officers who killed him would not be charged.
The Saint Paul Police Department continues to be the deadliest police force in the state of MN.
Please join Cordale’s family tomorrow night for a vigil on the East Side at 6 PM.
Then on Saturday in Roseville for a Memorial Banquet, also at 6 PM.
Due to Use of Force policies for forces across the state, we are seeing a rise in the shootings of people in a mental health crisis/medical emergency. We cannot allow this to become the New Normal.
On March 15th, 2017, Cordale Quinn Handy was suffering through a mental health crisis/medical emergency.
The Saint Paul Police Department was called multiple times and it was clear and evident from video that Cordale needed help and deescalation tactics should have been implemented.
In December of 2017, it was announced that SPPD Officers Mikko Norman and Nathaniel Younce would not be charged. However, in April (of 2017), Cordale’s mother Kimberly Handy-Jones filed a federal lawsuit against the two due to him being shot unjustly. The family’s attorney Andrew Stroth believes that based on eyewitness accounts and other relevant information, it is their perspective that Cordale Handy did not present a threat and was unjustifiably shot by Minnesota’s deadliest police force: the Saint Paul Police Department. A third officer’s identity was hidden from the public for quite some time but we have been informed that his name is Jordan Wild, and he was one of the two officers who killed Phumee Lee in October of last year, also on the East Side of St. Paul.
It is important to recall an incident in June of 2015, where a white man named James Frei pulled a handgun on St. Paul Police Department officer Michael Tschida and pointed it in his face attempting to steal a wireless speaker. He made it out of the store and led police on a chase through Midway. He was ultimately apprehended without injury.
It is also important to recall other incidents where people needed help and instead ended up getting shot. Also in St. Paul, Phil Quinn needed help but was shot and killed instead. In Columbia Heights, Michael Kirvelay was suffering through a medical emergency and his family even told police not to enter their place of business but they did anyway and shot and killed him. In St. Paul, Jaffort Smith was shot dozens of times while in crisis. Officer Tschida, who was mentioned above was one of the officers who killed Jaffort. He has no business in law enforcement. In Burnsville, Map Kong needed help but ultimately law enforcement decided shooting him was the best way to not disturb pending rush hour traffic. In Crystal, Khaleel Thompson was shot more than 12 times while in a park with an airsoft gun; police had been informed of his mental state and still decided shooting him was the only option. Recently, inside of City Hall, Downtown Minneapolis, 18-year old Marcus Fischer was alone in an interrogation room when he began “harming himself”. When police were alerted, they entered the room and ultimately decided to shoot him. Even more recently, in Maple Grove, DeWayne Burlingham was suffering through a suicidal episode with a knife to his own throat and law enforcement’s decision was to shoot him.
Implicit racial bias and the heinous mishandling of incidents involving people in crisis are wreaking havoc on people in the state of Minnesota. Use of Force policies basically force officers into shooting people in crisis, under the guise of “public safety”.
Cordale’s mother, Kimberly has worked tirelessly for change since her son was killed and has made frequent trips up to Minnesota from Illinois to do so.
Please join Justice 4 Cordale Handy, Black Lives Matter Minnesota, The New North, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Black Saint Paul, Fight For Justice, Justice4PhumeeLee, Justice4MarcusGolden, The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, The Independent Gubernatorial Candidate, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities and more tomorrow night (Friday, March 16th) at 6 PM for a Memorial/Vigil for Cordale.
Then, join us the following day (on Saturday, March 17th) at the Radisson Hotel in Roseville (2540 Cleveland Avenue N., Roseville, MN 55113) for a banquet to remember Cordale. Kimberly Handy-Jones will be joined by other mothers who have lost their children, community activists, and more.
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