The Moment

Generate Pressure for Aurora to Open an Investigation into the Death of Elijah McClain

In 2020, at the height of the Justice for George Floyd protests, my mother told me the disturbing news that a year ago, in Aurora, Colorado, a young man was killed by police officers on his way home. This young man was Elijah McClain. The circumstances of his death were horrible, and I could not believe that nothing had been done about it. Feeling inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, I took it upon myself to create a petition to seek justice for Elijah (the petition creator’s name has since been changed to the Justice For Elijah McClain account).

Over the course of the next couple of months, the petition gained over 5 million signatures. I worked with the McClain family, their lawyers, and the press to give Elijah a voice. By placing pressure on decision makers, an investigation was opened. The case resulted in the ban on the use of carotid hold in Aurora (Senate Bill 20-217), and the ban of the use of ketamine administered by law enforcement (House Bill 21-1251). This case also resulted in the largest known settlement for police violence in Colorado history.

Read one of the stories here.