This message came from Silence Is Violence today;
"Funeral services for Wendell Allen, the young man killed by the police last week, are being planned for this weekend. At this time, the Allen family is still struggling to meet funeral expenses, and they have asked for the assistance of SilenceIsViolence.
If you are able to make a contribution during this time of need for the Allens, please contact Capital One Bank: You can contribute directly to account name Wendell Allen, account number 562-721-7244.
If you prefer to contribute through SilenceIsViolence, you can do so on our website. All contributions received by the organization this week will be forwarded to the Allen family.
Wendell Allen was a graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. We have been contacted by teachers of his, who remembered Wendell as an energetic, outgoing, positive young person. He loved sports of all kinds--on the night he was killed, he has just come home from playing basketball with friends. Wendell attended Navarro College in Texas for a time before returning home to be near family. He was employed by Richard Disposal at the time of his senseless death.
Last Wednesday evening, Wendell was resting in his room when New Orleans Police broke into the family home on a search warrant, based on suspected marijuana sales tied to the house. Wendell heard the noise and came to the stairs, where Officer Jason Colclough fatally shot him.
Wendell was unarmed, and no explanation of why Officer Colclough used deadly force, nor any information about what is being done to address the killing by the NOPD, has been forthcoming from authorities. SilenceIsViolence is among many community members and organizations watching the follow-through on this case with concern.
For now, we are working closely with Wendell's family, through our Victim Allies Project, to support them in their immediate emotional and logistical needs. Wendell's grandmother is particularly determined that they manage to bring his sister, Jeadell Quinn, home to bid her brother goodbye this weekend. Jeadell is enrolled at Sage University in Albany New York, so her travel will be costly (flights start at $600), and we hope that this small drive by SilenceIsViolence will help to cover those expenses.
Thank you for joining us in supporting Wendell Allen's family. Please also join us in paying close attention to how the NOPD and Mayor Landrieu respond to this latest questionable action by local law enforcement. We will meet next Tuesday evening at 6pm at the SilenceIsViolence office (2702 Chartres Street) to discuss next steps; all are invited to take part in this conversation."
www.silenceisviolence.org
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3 comments:
This just in (3/13 -9:26pm) from the NOPDonline:
"As a part of the on-going criminal investigation, investigators have sought to obtain a voluntary statement from Officer Joshua Colclough, who fired his service weapon one time, fatally wounding Wendell Allen.
Officer Colclough has retained counsel.
Criminal investigators have contacted his attorney for several days to ask the officer to make a statement, but his attorney has not made Officer Colclough available to do so. As PIB protocol dictates, following the shooting, Officer Colclough was immediately reassigned to desk duty."
This update on the Wendall Allen shooting clearly shows that the object of the search, Troy Deemer, was the one seen leaving the house with a pound of pot. It's pretty obvious to me that he had sold a small amount (138 grams were found) to whoever possessed it at the Prentiss St. address. This is the NOPD, under the guidance of Serpas, making a huge & violent attempt to glorify Serpas' quest for statistics, calling pot "narcotics" & killing a man, in his pajama's, at a home where 5 small children were playing. This is NOPD officer Joshua Colclough committing manslaughter or murder.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/03/gentilly_raid_details_show_foc.html#incart_mce
Update from Silence Is Violence, 3/15/12;
"Two days ago, SilenceIsViolence sent an appeal on behalf of the family of Wendell Allen, the young man killed by New Orleans police in his home last week. Your response has been quick and generous, and we are happy to report that yesterday we purchased a plane ticket for Wendell's sister Jeadell, so that she can come home from college to be with her family this weekend, for Wendell's funeral. The Allen family was deeply grateful and moved by this support from the community. They do continue to have significant financial needs, given the unexpected nature of their sudden and tragic expenses. SilenceIsViolence is directing to Wendell's family 100% of contributions we receive this week via our website, http://www.silenceisviolence.org/donations/. Gifts can also be made directly to the family at Capital One Bank, account name Wendell Allen, account number 562-721-7244.
Also regarding Wendell's case, the day before yesterday the City of New Orleans rejected a public records request pertaining to the NOPD's use of force policies, including in officer-involved shootings such as the one the killed Wendell. In refusing the request, the City Attorney's office erroneously cited exemptions to the Louisiana Public Records Act that do not apply in this case. This rejection was a disturbing response to a compelling and reasonable interest on the part of the public to understand the policies and practices of the NOPD. We hope the City will think better of this response and provide citizens with information about use of force policies. We will definitely keep you posted as this case develops, and will discuss the problem of NOPD secrecy at our community discussion next Tuesday evening (SilenceIsViolence office, 2702 Chartres Street, 6pm).
Thanks once again for outpouring of support in this tragic case."
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