Justice For Emerald Black

You may have recently seen our post attached below, reposted from @/annikasstuff about Emerald Black, a black woman who had a miscarriage due to police brutality.

On June 7th, 2019, Emerald Black and her fiancé were driving home when they were pulled over by the police in San Leandro, California. According to the lawsuit, they had recently visited Alta Bates Medical Center in Oakland, where Black had been informed that she was a high-risk pregnancy that was prone to miscarriage.

The police officers pulled them over due to her fiancé’s bad registration tags. Despite her being visibly pregnant and informing the officers that she was pregnant and had just come from the hospital, the officers allegedly “yanked” her out of the car, “stomped on her stomach, piled on top of her and arrested her.”

Black says due to this extreme force, she then suffered a miscarriage a few days later. Besides her physical injuries, she also suffered mental injuries, including the toll of the loss of a child.

It is important to note (from a statement from her attorney, Patrick Buelna) that Black had been accused of absolutely no crimes, yet she was treated as though she was dangerous and had committed a felony.

“Based on our review of the allegations, the city has determined that they are without merit,” Deputy City Manager Eric Engelbert told the paper in response to the lawsuit filed on May 25. “As a result, the city has denied a claim for damages and plans to vigorously defend the lawsuit. Given the pending litigation, the city is not able to offer additional statements regarding this matter at this time.”

The four officers in George Floyd’s heartbreaking case have been charged, yes, but as Sophie Turner put it, it is not just about those four officers. “This is about Breonna Taylor, this is about Trayvon Martin, this is about Eric Garner, this is about the systemic racism that Black people have faced for hundreds and hundreds of years. This is about changing the system. Justice will be done when society reflects our beliefs that we are all equal. Until then there should be no peace.”

There are many ways you can help bring justice for Emerald Black. Firstly, this change.org petition asks that Mayor Pauline Russo investigate the San Leandro Police Department’s treatment of Emerald Black.

Please also share this with your friends and family; send this article link to them or share the post on your story; get as many people as you can to sign a petition; go out and protest for Black’s rights and for the movement.

Today marks a little over a year past from this incident, and still, there’s been no show of justice for Black and her fiancé. Thank you to everyone who has already signed the petition and shared the incident—we will not and should not rest until justice has been served.

Sources:

[1] Ruggiero, A. (2020, May 28). Woman claims San Leandro police 'stomped' on her while pregnant, causing miscarriage. Retrieved June 10, 2020, from https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/05/27/pregnant-woman-claims-san-leandro-police-stomped-on-her-causing-miscarriage/

[2] Samhan, J. (2020, June 07). Sophie Turner Asks Fans To Sign Petition For Emerald Black, A Woman Who Filed A Lawsuit Alleging Police Brutality Caused Her Miscarriage. Retrieved June 10, 2020, from https://etcanada.com/news/653870/sophie-turner-and-joe-jonas-attend-black-lives-matter-protests/

[3] Christian, T. (2020, June 04). California Woman Sues City Alleging Police Stomped On Stomach, Caused Miscarriage. Retrieved June 10, 2020, from https://www.essence.com/news/emerald-black-police-brutality-miscarriage/

—Evie