Defenders of the Blue law firm was representing the GRPD cop that shot and killed Da’Quain Johnson

Our team is dedicated to protecting the rights of law enforcement officers, standing ready to provide expert legal counsel in high-pressure and high-profile situations. We are not afraid to challenge authority when necessary, and our commitment to officer rights has earned us a reputation as tenacious and reliable advocates.

The above comment is taken from the “about” section for the Defenders of the Blue law firm. This law firm was set to provide legal defense for the GRPD cop that shot and killed Da’Quain Johnson, one Christopher Carlson.

As I reported on April 4th, when Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker ruled that he would not bring charges agains the cops who killed Da’Quain Johnson, I wrote:

One thing that we have to come to terms with is that the police can kill anyone they want to if they feel that their lives are in danger. This doesn’t mean that they are actually in danger, they just have to believe, feel, or perceive that their lives are in danger. This is how the laws around using deadly force are designed, which is to say they are designed to protect cops and to protect the carceral state. In other words, it is by design.

Here is a statement from the founder of Defenders of the Blue, responding to Chris Becker’s decision to not bring charges against the two GRPD cops:

“The Defender of the Blue team supports Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker’s decision not to file charges against the Grand Rapids Police Department officers involved in the recent officer-involved shooting.

After a full and independent review of the evidence, including body camera footage, witness statements, and forensic analysis, Prosecutor Becker concluded that the officers’ actions were legally justified.

This case underscores a critical truth about law enforcement. Officers are routinely placed in rapidly evolving, high-risk situations where they must make life-or-death decisions in a matter of seconds. In this incident, the evidence shows the suspect failed to follow commands to drop the gun and forced officers to respond to an immediate and deadly threat. 

Despite these facts, officer-involved shootings are often immediately subjected to intense public scrutiny, media speculation, and premature judgment. The spreading of false narratives by the “leaders” of the community created narratives that ignored the realities officers face and the legal standards governing the use of force.

This prosecutor’s decision reaffirms that officers must be judged based on the totality of the circumstances they are confronted with in the moment, not through hindsight or public pressure.

The Defender of the Blue Team remains committed to standing with law enforcement officers that act within the law to protect themselves and the communities they serve. This outcome reflects what the evidence clearly demonstrated from the beginning: the officers acted lawfully, appropriately, and in defense of human life.”

This statement is a lot to unpack, but in many ways it speaks for itself. The Defenders of the Blue Law firm is committed to representing and defending cops who kill people, because they are ideologically aligned with the carceral state. Their statement reflects a belief in the narrative that cops exists to protect the public, but that they have the right to kill anyone if they believe that the lives of cops are at risk.

The founder of Defenders of the Blue, Marc Curtis, refused to be interviewed by WOODTV8 prior to the Kent County Prosecutor’s ruling in a March 20th channel 8 story.  However, Curtis posted on the Defenders of the Blue Facebook page:

What I said to WOOD TV8 that they did not include in the story: “I see no need to go on camera to discuss this false propaganda laced “press conference” by Mr Johnson and Mr. Crump that is nothing more than to try and divide our community. We will await Prosecutor Becker’s independent review of the ACTUAL and FULL facts.”

So, the lawyers representing the Johnson family are out to divide the community? Really, is this what the lawyer who was set to defend the GRPD cop actually believes, or is his statement meant to suggest that anyone who is critical of law enforcement is an enemy of the state? For this writer it would be the latter.

Lastly, it is important to note that the Defender of the Blue were invited recently to present at a conference hosted by the largest and most powerful police group in the US, the National Fraternal Order of Police just last week. In addition, the Defenders of the Blue list police departments that endorse them, which includes the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, which you find at the bottom of their organizational homepage.