On March 29, 13-year-old Adam Toledo was shot dead by a Chicago police officer. Footage of the brutal killing was released on April 15 and shows Officer Eric Stillman chasing Toledo down a dark alleyway. Stillman demanded that Toledo stop and show his hands, and Toledo was then fatally shot in the chest. Stillman has been placed on a 30-day administrative leave.
Before the footage was released, city officials changed their version of the horrific event several times. The most egregious deflection from CPD is the disproportionate focus on conditions related to the shooting. Instead of concentrating on the fact that this violence from authorities is common in Latine communities, the Chicago police union is trying to shift the narrative and villainize Toledo. They tried to smear Toledo as a gang member to justify his killing.
The head of the Chicago police union, John Catanzara, perpetuated this narrative to the media. Catanzara was fired from the police force in February 2021 for falsifying police reports. He is also known for making offensive and racist comments. In 2017, he allegedly commented on Facebook, calling Muslims “savages” who “all deserve a bullet.” He has been suspended several times in the past, and there are several complaints against him within the police force. The Chicago Police Board always restored him to his position, a clear indicator of the flaws found within our justice system.
Toledo is not the only case where officers have deliberately lied. Minneapolis police lied in the initial report regarding the excessive force they used against George Floyd, labeling his death a “medical incident.” Another case had Minneapolis officers claim that the reason they kept firing at Dominic Felder was that he resisted arrest and tried grabbing one of their guns. Felder was suffering a mental health episode that night, and the officers’ version of the events was found to be false. The trial ended with a jury verdict against the city and a $2.1 million settlement.
On April 10, a prosecutor stated that Toledo was holding a gun when he was shot, adding to the narrative that he was a criminal. This is problematic and reinforces the idea that criminals forfeit their right to live. Regardless if Toledo was in a gang or had committed a crime, he did not deserve to die. Police do not get to play executioners out in the field, especially when it comes to criminalizing children of color.
The body camera video footage proved the prosecutor wrong. Stillman went as far as filing a report, which said that Toledo was not compliant with his demands. But the video clearly shows Toledo holding up his hands per the officer’s orders.
The most aggravating response came from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who stated, “We don’t have enough information to be the judge and jury of this particular situation. Let’s wait until we hear all the facts.” She came to the police officer’s defense, proving once again that the U.S. criminal justice system is failing communities of color.
Mayor Lightfoot is not attempting to listen to the concerns of marginalized communities. Nor did she speak about the fact that a young child’s life was lost at the hands of the police. By coming to the police’s defense, she is turning her back on the cries of the Latine community. No excuses will change the fact that a 13-year-old boy was shot dead by the police.
It is abhorrent to see institutionalized racism being upheld by the same people who are supposed to be our protectors. People of color remain living in fight-or-flight mode because of the constant violence they face from law enforcement on a day-to-day basis. Adam Toledo was not just a seventh-grade boy in the eyes of Officer Stillman. The color of his skin labeled him as an immediate threat, leading to a fatal outcome.
This phenomenon is known as adultification, and it is commonly applied to children in marginalized communities. A study showed that adults viewed Black girls “as less innocent and more adult-like than white girls of the same age, especially between 5–14 years old.” This view is extremely harmful, and many people are unaware of it. It leads to harsher punishments for children of color and the belief that they need less protection. It puts these children in vulnerable situations, where they may face the same ending as Adam Toledo.
It has become clear that police do not protect communities of color. They reinforce racial stereotypes and uphold white supremacy. Looking back into history, the law has always favored the white man. The precursor to the modern police force was created to help protect white people and assist in tasks such as retrieving runaway slaves. The same concepts of protecting whiteness are still present in today’s world, and it is perpetuated in our society as cases such as Toledo’s occur constantly. People are not automatically criminals because they are not white.
We must hold police accountable for their actions. Too many times have police officers gotten away with the crimes they commit. Little justice is seen for marginalized communities. Holding cops accountable by prosecuting them for the killing of their victims is only the beginning. With this in mind, Derek Chauvin’s conviction for the death of George Floyd should not distract from the main problem of police brutality against communities of color. Drastic change is needed within the police force.
Defunding the police is a much better approach to creating change. The money should be going towards social programs tasked to help marginalized communities. Programs like CAHOOT replace officers with social workers when needed. This is a softer approach to use when incidents escalate. It helps officers in situations where they are forced to use skills they do not have; for example, they are not trained to handle incidents such as an autistic person having a meltdown. These much-needed changes can help reduce violence in communities of color.
Major changes are needed within the American criminal justice system, as it has racist origins and lacks the ability to counter the effects of white supremacy. Marginalized communities will never see true change until police reform is enacted through defunding law enforcement and putting more resources into the communities they serve.
Toledo’s case is a clear indicator of the obstacles that people of color are facing. Adultification of children of color is too common and leaves them in vulnerable situations. Officers do not get to play judge, jury and executioner and decide whether someone’s criminal record warrants their murder. Communities of color are in danger, and we must take the necessary steps to help them.
