Those in power have been telling us behind closed doors not make any noise about the murder of Patrick Lyoya

Recently, a federal judge has dismissed Grand Rapids City as a defendant in a lawsuit seeking millions after a police officer fatally shot Congolese immigrant Patrick Lyoya.

On the heels of this recent legal setback, the father of Patrick Lyoya, lawyer Ben Crump and former Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack, along with the support of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, held a rally and a march in downtown Grand Rapids.

With an estimated 60 people turning out, participants marched from Calder Plaza to the Kent County Courthouse to demand justice for Patrick Lyoya, the young Congolese man who was shot in the back of the head by a GRPD cop after being pulled over during a routine traffic stop. 

The march went past the federal building and crossed at Ottawa, where people doing crowd safety made sure that traffic did not put people in danger. Motorists who were on Ottawa crossing Michigan had to wait 30-40 seconds, while the mostly Black marchers crossed the road. Despite such a short amount of time it took for motorists to cross, some were visibly upset and other yelled at those marching once they were cleared to cross the road. It was yet another clear example of privileged people being upset over their day being interrupted by those who are seeking justice for a victim of state violence.

Once the marchers reached the Kent County Courthouse, people began to gather to hear speakers. A sound system was provided by members of the Stagehands Union, IATSE. The speakers included Peter Lyoya, a representative from the Grand Rapids Chapter of the NAACP, a local Black Pastor, Robert Womack, Ben Crump, a member of the Comrade Collective, someone from the Black Lives Matter group in Lansing and a few others. What follows are some of the themes that were addressed by those that spoke.

• Patrick Lyoya was a father who just wanted to go home and see his family. He tried to get away from the cop that pulled him over, resisted while being tased, but was eventually shot in the back of the head while lying face down on the ground.
• People should not give up in this fight for justice.
• The video footage of the murder of Patrick Lyoya clearly demonstrates that he was not a threat to the GRPD cop who shot him.
• The GRPD cop who shot Patrick, Christopher Schurr, is not the only problem. The larger, more systemic problem is the function of policing in the US, particularly as it is applied to the Black community.
• People should stop voting for elected officials that have remained silent on this issue and refused to participate in the campaign to win justice for Patrick Lyoya. There was only one local elected official at the rally.
• Local politicians have been meeting behind closed doors with the family of Patrick Lyoya and some of the organization supporting this fight, urging them to trust the process and to not burn down the city. We see what the process has got us…..no justice for Patrick Lyoya!

Lastly, people who attended the rally were urged to show up on Wednesday, September 6th at the Kent County Courthouse for another short rally at 9am, then to pack the courtroom where the Michigan State Court of Appeals will be hearing arguments related to the case of “People of MI v. Christopher Paul Schurr.” Here is a link to that event.