ACROSS AMERICA: Stop Police Murders of Black Youth

Stacy M. Brown | The Philadelphia Tribune

Civil Rights leaders and others reacted with a sense of relief – if only temporary – after a Texas jury sentenced a former police officer to 15 years in prison Wednesday for the shooting death of an unarmed African-American teen in a Dallas suburb.

“The child murdering cop just got 15 years in prison … he’ll likely serve all 15,” said activist Shaun King. “It doesn’t bring Jordan [Edwards] back, but it’s the closest thing to justice we’ve seen.”

A day earlier when the same jury found former Police Officer Roy Oliver guilty, King said it was an “answer to our prayers.”

“A bittersweet moment for his family and for all of us who’ve fought non-stop for justice,” King wrote on Twitter. “We’d rather Jordan be alive, but this was so important.”

Journalist Jamil Smith noted a connection from Jordan to Emmett Till.

“I look at his face and see Emmett Till, lynched 63 years ago today. This story didn’t end in the typical fashion, though,” Smith said. “Oliver was convicted. I hate that this news is so surprising.”

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