Michael Westley

On June 16, 2013, Michael Westley was shot by Chicago police just two weeks before his sixteenth birthday. Police claim to have responded to a report of a shooting and noticed 15-year-old Michael running. The cops claimed that Michael pointed a gun at them, and that a second large handgun was found at the scene. But the Chicago Tribune reported that witnesses told Westley’s relatives they did not see him holding a gun at the time of the shooting. Three years later a video snippet was released showing Michael in gym shorts running with arms pumping. How could someone be running with a gun (much less two) in the waistband of gym shorts without it becoming dislodged? The released video has been edited to not show the actual shooting.

Michael’s mother, Chantell Brooks, founded the Michael Westley Foundation, and has fought tirelessly for justice for her son and other victims of the police. City officials, the Justice Department and White House have taken no action against the cops who killed Michael. In 2016 Brooks, along with families of other victims, appeared before a Chicago Police Board Public Meeting. Pointing out that Michael was shot under the arm, proving his arms were up when he was shot, she demanded that all camera footage be released. Chantell is an endorser of the campaign to open police archives.

Open the police archives! We demand that any and all video recordings of the killing be released to the family and public scrutiny. Any and all statements by the cops involved and by any witnesses must be released. Release personnel files and incident reports of all officers involved, including from any prior police agencies. Release any brutality complaints or disciplinary files. Were any officers involved in prior shootings? Release any communications between officers involved and superiors, including texts and emails. Chicago PD routinely guns down black and Latino youth—Dexter Reed, Laquan McDonald, Rekia Boyd, Adam Toledo. Open all the police archives!