Anquan Boldin, former NFL player and Super Bowl XLVII champion, wrote and released an article via USA Today, detailing the murder of his cousin Cory Jones that was committed by a police officer in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Boldin, realized in that moment last fall Cory’s killing was a “call to action”, subsequently being the sole reason why he retired from football and “works full time fighting for criminal justice reform and racial and social equality.”
The name of the officer responsible for Jones’ murder is Nouman Raja, who will soon face trail on charges of manslaughter and attempted murder.
Jones’, was murdered while awaiting roadside assistance after a “late-night gig” with his bandmates, by Raja who was plainclothed and also failed to identify himself as being a police officer.c
Raja’s lawyers are preparing to represent their client by basing “his defense on a perverted interpretation of Florida’s stand your ground law that has been adopted into 22 other states in this country via Criminal Find Law. Stand your ground is a law that allows “people to stand their ground instead of retreating if they reasonably believe doing so will “prevent death or great bodily harm.”
Intended for civilians not trained officers who are supposed to be equipped with the mental fortitude to deescalate and evaluate a situation not “fear for their lives” and murder Blacks at free will.
Stand your ground is the same piece of legislation responsible for an arrogant rouge neighborhood watch reject named George Zimmerman who ultimately turned out to be a psychopathic murder that walked away a free man; while Trayvon Martin an unarmed Black teenage student lays in his grave; leaving families like the Boldin’s in distress and Black communities in chaos searching for answers, to say the least.
“Incredibly, a few police officers have already used this defense successfully. Those were judicial decisions that made no sense at all.”
“My cousin didn’t have a chance to stand his ground or even defend himself — yet now his killer is turning the law on its head and claiming self-defense.”
Again Corey Jones, another unarmed Black man; awaiting road side assistance was killed by a “plainclothes police officer while waiting innocently for roadside assistance off a Florida highway”, who did not identify himself as being a cop, fired and murdered this man in cold blood now is attempting to manipulate the law in order to remain free.
The police are seemingly engaging in a warfare to kill Black people and already have a license to murder Black women, men and children and on the rare occasion that they are indicated and prosecute; they use any defense or character demonizing or diminishing piece of “evidence”, legislation, manipulation possible to justify killing us.
“If Florida’s law is successfully perverted to protect Raja, then we will have failed Corey, and all those who died at the hands of police before him. We will continue to fail anyone else who dies at the hands of the people who are meant to protect us.”
“It is on us to mobilize to make things right. Email your legislators and governor, advocate and fight for those who didn’t get a chance to see justice. If we sit silently, the blood of Corey Jones will be on our hands, too.”
“The more we allow police officers to use this law, the less we’ll be able to hold them accountable.”
“I have relatives who are police officers and members of the military. I deeply respect law enforcement’s pledge to protect and serve and am thankful to those who fulfill that pledge. But this is not a case of a sworn officer protecting anything. It’s about someone trying to get away with an unjust killing after taking indefensible actions. And we simply cannot allow Raja to place himself above the law.”