HIS NAME WAS CASEY
By Brittany Gail Thomas, Esq.
It’s happening again. It’s been happening. Quietly, but not so quietly, another death. You see, the distractions of this time make it so easy to put things aside. To get caught up. To forget.
The pandemic hit a one day high of 3,054 deaths.
People are unemployed, and there’s no sign of relief.
Small businesses and the restaurant industry are being crushed.
Work-life balance was a facade before, and now it’s an impossibility.
The vaccine is here, and we don’t know whether we’re going to get it or if we should take it.
Death penalty executions keep popping up in our newsfeeds.
The political climate is still bizarre.
And here come the holidays.
But this year, we now have to add another name to the death toll. A new name. After months of protests and civil unrest, another Black man joins the long list of Black men and women killed by the police. His name was CASEY GOODSON, JR. We don’t know him, but his story seems familiar.
Casey was a 23-year-old Black man who was shot in the back by 17-year police veteran Jason Meade in Columbus, OH. Meade alleges that Casey was in his car, waived a gun at officers, and refused to put it down on command. Casey then went to his front door, put the keys in the door, and was shot in the back. Reports indicate that Casey was shot three times. Casey Goodson, Jr. is now dead.
Immediately, the rhetoric is the same. A statement and tweet from law enforcement indicated that a gun was recovered and removed from the scene. Meade did not have on a body camera as his local police department did not require it. There are no known witnesses outside of Casey and the officers present.
Until we create a system that seeks justice and practices fairness without exception, Casey Goodson, Jr. will not be the last Black person killed by police.
Casey’s family was present. His grandmother and two toddlers witnessed him dead in his doorway. To his family, he was the oldest of 10 siblings. A father-figure to them. A loved one who’d just come home from a dental appointment with Subway sandwiches in hand. Someone whose life mattered to them.
It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you stand on.
It doesn’t matter what you do for a living.
It doesn’t matter what race you are.
It doesn’t matter how woke or how much of an ally you think you are.
It really doesn’t matter how many times we chant “BLACK LIVES MATTER” if we’re not living it.
History continues to repeat itself and until we deal with the cancer that is racism in this country, Casey Goodson, Jr. will not be the last Black man killed by police. Until we create a system that seeks justice and practices fairness without exception, Casey Goodson, Jr. will not be the last Black person killed by police.
It really doesn’t matter how many times we chant
“BLACK LIVES MATTER” if we’re not living it.
We stand in support of a thorough and unbiased collaborative investigation by various outside agencies to conduct the investigation into this loss of life.
We offer our support and a safe space for our members, and the Black community, as we manage the trauma associated with police violence, the loss of Black lives, and systematic racism.
We send our condolences to Casey’s family and friends during this time of grief and mourning. We honor who he was as a family member to each of you.
Unapologetically, we say BLACK LIVES MATTER.
Brittany Gail Thomas, Esq. (BGT) is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of The Color of Excellence. To learn more about and contact BGT, click here.
