Giffords Condemns Murder of 13-Year-Old Adam Toledo at the Hands of Police
Washington DC — Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, joins Americans across the country in decrying the murder of 13-year-old Adam Toledo in a neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago on March 29. Yesterday the City of Chicago released body camera footage of the incident, in which Adam is shown complying with the officer’s orders to turn around and raise his hands before being shot and killed in less than a second.
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Adam’s mother has said that her son loved animals, Legos, and Hot Wheels. Adam Toledo was not old enough to drive, vote, or enlist in the military, yet his life was cut short and his future taken from him by a bullet fired from a police officer’s gun. We are failing our nation’s children, especially Black and Brown children, when we cannot protect them from gun violence at school or in their neighborhoods, including from those who have sworn an oath to protect and serve.
Giffords is calling on our elected officials to pass legislation to reform our nation’s over-militarized police departments and ensure that they are protecting life—not taking it.
“Nearly 1,000 Americans are shot and killed every year by law enforcement,” said Giffords Executive Director Peter Ambler. “The victims are disproportionately people of color. Last month, Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old child, became the latest victim. Yesterday, video was released showing his hands were up when the police pulled the trigger. Time and time again, Black and Brown Americans experience violence at the hands of the police when they should be protected by them. Police violence is gun violence, and we need our leaders to take action to prevent it, by passing legislation like the Justice in Policing Act.”
“Serious police reform in America is long overdue,” said Giffords Law Center Executive Director Robyn Thomas. “The police killing of 13-year old Adam Toledo should spark not only outrage but concrete action by leaders at every level. It is unacceptable to do nothing while Black and Brown Americans continue to be gunned down by the police. We must hold police accountable and insist that our elected officials take action to reform policing policies that lead to unjust killings.”
“Adam Toledo didn’t get to lead a full life because he was gunned down by the police. He was 13 years old, and loved playing with Legos and Hot Wheels. His mom said he wanted to be a police officer when he grew up—yet last month, his life was taken by one, said Giffords Senior Advisor Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. “The video footage released yesterday is heartbreaking and horrifying. Adam complied with the police officer’s instruction, and yet they shot him in the chest. We can’t continue to let our children be killed because of the color of their skin.”
Black, Native, and Latinx individuals face a much higher risk of police violence than white individuals. Black, Native, and Latinx communities are also at much higher risk of gun homicide—a risk which is further exacerbated by high-profile incidents of police violence like the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, and so many more.
A Giffords Law Center report published in January 2020 explores how police shootings often lead to significant ruptures in police-community trust, contributing to cycles of community violence. When community members feel they cannot rely on law enforcement or the justice system to keep them safe or treat them fairly, witness participation with law enforcement drops, and a small fraction of the population seeks retaliatory vigilante justice instead.
This additional resource about the devastating effects of police shootings contains more information about the causes of and solutions to police violence, as well as links to community groups doing the difficult and necessary work to address decades of police brutality against communities of color. Solving our country’s gun violence crisis must include putting an end to the state-sanctioned violence that has been allowed to continue unabated for far too long.
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