Thank you to everyone who bought a Justice 4 Daniel shirt.
On January 18, 2016, Daniel Shaver was shot to death in the hallway of a hotel in Mesa, Arizona. He was unarmed, crawling on his hands and knees, and begging for his life. The body camera footage of the event is often described as the most disturbing police shooting ever caught on tape.
Since that day, the Mesa Police Department has fought to avoid accountability. Their union fought so that the disgraced cop who fired the fatal shots could be rehired by the city and then medically retired on the basis of PTSD. That officer, Philip Mitchell Brailsford, receives a tax-free payment of $2500 per month, which will continue until the end of his natural life.
The commanding officer, Charles Langley, was the one giving orders that night. His incomprehensible instructions directly resulted in Daniel Shaver’s death. Charles Langley has faced no consequences for his behavior. He took early retirement just a few months after the shooting and moved his family to the Philippines.
If you would like to learn more about the Daniel Shaver shooting and the corruption in the Mesa Police Department, it is covered in-depth in our new 8-part podcast series.
We believe that specific actions can change the culture of corruption and non-accountability that has kept the Mesa police department mired in controversy for decades. An eye cannot see itself and a police department cannot hold itself accountable. Every successful business has safeguards in place to prevent corruption and, in fact, the very country we live in was built on a system of checks and balances.
The Institute for Criminal Justice Training Reform is an organization based in the USA dedicated to reforming the deeply-flawed, inadequate, and antiquated training models, policies, procedures, and legislative standards for employees in the United States' Criminal Justice System, particularly for those with the power to arrest, detain, commit, and kill.
From 2015 to 2019 more than 5,500 people were killed by US law enforcement. Many of these incidents can be linked directly to a series of training failures that also encourage a culture after training that is marked by a lack of accountability, particularly in response to excessive, unreasonable, and unnecessary use-of-force.
We originally pledged to donate 50% of all our Patreon earnings for the months of November and December to Laney Sweet. Plus, all net proceeds from the sale of our Justice 4 Daniel shirts. But upon the release of our season, Laney reached a settlement in her civil case with the city of Mesa for $8 million. We have no idea how quickly Laney will have access to this money and there is a chance she might still request our financial assistance. In that case, we will be more than happy to provide it.
Though, if Laney’s situation has changed such that she is financially secure then we will donate any money we raise to The Institute for Criminal Justice Training Reform.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support.
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