#JusticeForJocques Coalition

**For Immediate Release**

Tuesday February 21, 2017
Contact: Theeda Murphy
Email: Theeda@comcast.net
Phone: 615-615-473-7933
Community Members Hold Protest in Response to Murder of Jocques Clemmons
What: Direct Action in response to the murder of Jocques Clemmons
When: Tuesday February 21, 2017 5:30PM-8:00PM
Where: Legislative Plaza. 301 6th Ave North. Nashville, TN 37243

On Friday February 10th, JOCQUES SCOTT CLEMMONS was gunned down after being pulled over for a traffic stop by Metro
Nashville Police officer Joshua Lippert. We know how deadly traffic stops can become for black people and we also know how
traffic stops are used to racially profile and cast fishing nets for black people. Mayor Megan Barry and Metro Nashville Police
Department pride themselves in identifying Nashville as The It City, making claims that Nashville is not like other cities with
poor police-community relations and racism. This blatantly ignores the fact that many black Nashville residents and
community organizers have been saying for years that there is a problem here. MNPDs Operation Safer Streets has proven
that MNPD targets black communities- specifically low-income black communities. The recently released Driving While
Black report (www.DrivingWhileBlackNashville.wordpress.com) proves that MNPD racially profiles and disproportionately
targets black drivers. We are a collective group of concerned citizens. We will stand up and fight back for Jocques, his family,
and our community. WE ARE DEMANDING THE FOLLOWING:
1. RELEASE THE POLICE REPORT NOW
2. FIRE OFFICER JOSHUA LIPPERT
a. Officer Lippert has proven with his disciplinary record that he is not fit to be a police officer. His
decision making and use of force has violated the vow to protect and serve and in the end he murdered Jocques
Clemmons. There should be ZERO tolerance for abusive police officers.
3. Make public the protocol for firing police officers
a. Officer Lippert has been disciplined 8 times in 5 years. At what point does MNPD say enough is enough
and fire a police officer? We want specific and transparent answers about what the process is for firing a
police officer for misconduct, abuse, etc.
4. Body Cameras NOW
a. Mayor Megan Barry pledged support of body cameras during her mayoral election. Mayor Barry and
Chief Anderson have publicly proposed to allot money for body cameras and yet we STILL have no
cameras. In September 2016, despite pressure to move forward swiftly with body cameras, Mayor Barrys
administration instead contributed $1 MILLION towards ballistic armor for police. This administration has
made it clear where their priorities lie. We want body cameras and we want them NOW.
5. PEOPLE-ORGANIZED (metro-authorized) Civilian Review Board with SUBPOENA POWER
a. MNPD has refused oversight by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and currently any investigation into
MNPD killings or misconduct is carried out by MNPD themselves. We are demanding that a PEOPLE-
ORGANIZED Civilian Review Board be implemented and supported. We recognize the importance of having
the people choose who will sit on the review board and reject mayoral and/or police appointed individuals
sitting on the board to eliminate any bias and conflicts of interest.
6. Stop the Metro Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) funded police task force occupation in
public housing.
a. MDHA has partnered with MNPD to increase police presence in public housing facilities such as Cayce
Homes. These areas are already heavily policed and surveilled. When a housing agency opts to increase
police presence and surveil its residents, it becomes an occupation. End the occupation at Cayce Homes.
b. Stop the recent escalation of police presence, occupation, and search of Cayce Homes and all public
housing residents. Since the killing of Jocques, police presence has increased in the very community that he
was killed in, escalating tensions between community members and police. We need room for our folks to
breathe.

The demands as stated here are general demands from diverse members of the black community, and not reflective of
the specific demands of any one organization. These demands are an effort to center black communities most directly
affected.