#Justice4AlaunteScott
President Joseph Biden, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Acting Chief of Police Pamela Smith,
On February 28, 2023, Alaunte Scott was murdered on the 4300 block of 3rd St. SE by U.S. Marshals (USMS) assisted by D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Police shot Alaunte seven times in the back.
According to several reports, U.S. Marshals parked and waited outside for hours before seeing Alaunte. It appears Alaunte was on his way to take out the trash before meeting with his probation officer. Just minutes later, federal law enforcement took this young Black man's life.
Chief Contee claims an MPD officer “responded to this location to assist the U.S Marshals of D.C Superior Court Division.” He did not provide a reason why MPD was called to respond, the number of MPD officers on the scene, or what they did there. Police further allege that Alaunte ran “a short or slight distance” and “produced” a gun.
Public statements from law enforcement simply do not add up. Leaving out details furthers community suspicions that the police are not telling the truth. That is why we are calling on President Biden, Mayor Bowser, and Acting MPD Chief of Police Pamela Smith to immediately release all body-worn footage. Alaunte's family and community deserve to see what really happened.
On behalf of Alaunte Scott's family and community, we demand the following:
- We demand the Department of Justice release video footage from the apartment complex’s surveillance cameras, and all investigative reports and findings related to Alaunte Scott’s murder.
- We demand the US Marshals Service release the names of the US Marshals that killed Alaunte Scott and release all investigative reports and findings.
- We demand Mayor Bowser and Acting Chief of Police Smith release all investigative reports, and findings including Force Investigation Team (FIT) reports, and all MPD body-worn-camera footage related to Alaunte’s murder.
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To:
President Joseph Biden, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Acting Chief of Police Pamela Smith,
From:
[Your Name]
On February 28, 2023, Alaunte Scott was murdered on the 4300 block of 3rd St. SE by U.S. Marshals (USMS) assisted by D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Alaunte was shot seven times in the back.
Alaunte, lovingly known as Tae, was incredibly proud to be a father. Being a good dad was very important to him. He had a strong bond with his siblings and was committed to being a positive role model to his younger brother.
Yet, law enforcement began assassinating his character as early as their first press conference. Their narrative played on the perceived criminality of young Black men to justify his execution, essentially killing him twice.
Here is the truth: Alaunte graduated with Cohort 11 of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) Pathways Program in November 2022. During the program, Pathways paid for him to stay in a hotel as part of the wrap-around services they offer participants.
When the program ended, housing support stopped before ensuring permanent employment. Despite this and while facing housing insecurity, Alaunte did not return to the streets.
The statements of MPD Chief Robert Contee and U.S. Marshal for the Superior Court of DC Robert Dixon paint an opposite picture. They strategically repeated allegations that Alaunte had multiple outstanding warrants. Dixon told reporters that the warrant USMS had was “legitimate.” He added that giving specifics of the other alleged warrants “in the DMV area” “was not particularly interesting or particularly of value.”
Our quick search showed only one open DC case for allegedly tampering with Alaunte’s detection device on February 8, 2023. A bench warrant was issued during a status hearing on February 23, 2023, for failure to appear. At that hearing, the judge acknowledged “the defendant has been compliant with pretrial check-ins per PSA representative.” Police also allege Alaunte ran “a short or slight distance” and “produced” a gun.
Did the police see a gun? What specific threat did Alaunte allegedly pose to officers? Leaving out details furthers community suspicions that the police are not telling the truth.
I sign this petition in solidarity with Alaunte's family, friends, and my community in making the following demands:
1. We demand the Department of Justice release video footage from the apartment complex’s surveillance cameras, and all investigative reports and findings related to Alaunte Scott’s murder.
2. We demand the US Marshals Service release the names of the US Marshals that killed Alaunte Scott and release all investigative reports and findings.
3. We demand Mayor Bowser and Acting Chief of Police Smith release all investigative reports, and findings including Force Investigation Team (FIT) reports, and all MPD body-worn-camera footage related to Alaunte’s murder.