The mothers of Black men killed in recent years by police had personal messages of strength and hope for the mother of Daunte Wright. Wright was shot and killed by a Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police officer Sunday.
“But I want her to know that she has a guardian angel forever,” said Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown who was killed in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014.
“Whoever said ‘time heals all wounds’ did not lose a child,” said Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin. Martin was killed in 2012 by George Zimmerman, who a part of a community watch group.
McSpadden, Fulton and others were part of an event by the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Ben Crump in Brooklyn Center Wednesday.
Fulton warned Wright’s family that they should prepare for the long legal process to come.
“An arrest is just step one. We all had arrests. And anyone can get arrested. But we have to get a conviction, and you can’t give up on that,” Fulton said. “We’re not going anywhere, we’re in this for the long haul.”
Earlier in the day Wednesday, it was announced the officer who fired the deadly shot at Wright, Kim Potter, was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter.
“To my sister Katie, (Daunte Wright’s mother) you are not alone, we are here for you,” said Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner. “In my son’s case, I did not get a day in court. That’s why I not only fight for my child, I fight for everyone’s child. Death can knock on any one of your doors anyday.”
Garner was killed in 2014; widely-shared video of the incident with New York police showed an officer using a prohibited chokehold on Garner and him shouting "I can't breath."
“Grieve like you want to. Don’t let anyone tell you how to grieve, how long to grieve, and when to stop grieving. You do that yourself,” Carr added.
Potter and the Brooklyn Center chief of police tendered their resignations Tuesday.
