Philadelphia Is Fed Up
Walter Wallace Jr.’s death points to Philadelphia’s long history of police violence
When a Black person is killed by the police, Black people are often trapped in the present moment. The whole of our reality becomes boots on the ground in protest and unbridled anger. From leaders, there are often empty promises and dog whistles. From protesters, there are demands for change. Philadelphia is no different.
When Walter Wallace Jr., 27, was gunned down by police on October 26, the city exploded. Protesters were injured and arrested. A patrol car erupted in flames. The unrest lasted for days. The situation garnered national attention, with leaders quickly condemning property damage and looting. But the finger-wagging only served as a distraction from what prompted the uprising in the first place: the loss of a life.
“I can’t say that [the shooting is] shocking. As a Black woman in America, the way [the police] handled it is not shocking,” says Bethany Stewart, an organizer with the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund. “There’s no reason why Walter is no longer living other than the fact that the police are here to cause harm to communities under the guise of keeping our communities safe. There are real people, resources, and opportunities to keep communities safe, and I don’t see that coming from the…
