Black Mothers Forum Calls For Action From Ducey
Family and supporters of Dion Johnson, the 28-year-old fatally shot by a Department of Public Safety trooper, are pushing for more action in the investigation against the trooper involved.
Phoenix police released their report this week on the criminal investigation into the incident. Supporters of the family are questioning several inconsistencies in it when compared to footage shown on an ADOT camera.
DPS Trooper George Cervantes and other officers have a history of aggressive and abusive behaviors towards Black men, said Black Mothers Forum President and founder Janelle Woods.
“So I’m calling for a cease fire. I said this to Gov. Ducey. I said this to Colonel Silver, the DPS, I said we want a ceasefire. We want you to stop firing on unarmed black sons and daughters in this community, period” she said. "We want this ceasefire for a certain period of time so we can look to sort through all your officers who were unstable who have a history of this stuff and let’s make sure we get them removed off the street and get them the help they need."
Family attorney Jocquese Blackwell is calling for Ducey to take action by calling a special session to support additional funding for DPS that would pay for body-worn cameras.
