A CMPD officer killed Jonathan Ferrell in 2013. Charlotte hasn’t forgotten.
Every year since 2013, when a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer fatally shot Jonathan Ferrell, an unarmed Black man, people have gathered to make sure his name is not forgotten.
Monday, the seventh anniversary of his death, was no different. People knelt in Marshall Park as the sun set, writing Ferrell’s name in chalk on the pavement.
Some in the crowd of 50 people may not have known the 24-year-old’s story before the event, said Kass Ottley, leader of Seeking Justice CLT. The nonprofit advocacy group hosted Monday’s event.
But that’s why Ottley continues to hold vigils every year.
“If they don’t remember what happened to Jonathan Ferrell, it’s going to happen again,” Ottley told The Observer in an interview. “I’m just worried every day there is going to be another Jonathan.”
On Sept. 14, 2013, Ferrell was giving a coworker a ride home when he crashed his car and went to a nearby home in the Bradfield Farms neighborhood for help. The resident called the police, and when the three officers arrived, Ferrell ran toward them.
Randall Kerrrick, one of the officers, fired 12 rounds at Ferrell, hitting him 10 times.
Local NAACP leader Corine Mack described Ferrell as “a son, a brother, a cousin, a student and a rising football star.” She encouraged those in the crowd to keep pushing for change.
“He was a dark-skinned, well-built Black man whose skin became his only criminality,” Mack said. “We can’t stop. We can’t give up. No matter how much they hurt us, it’s our responsibility to stand at this point in time so our children and their children will get justice.”
Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter but was not convicted. The city settled with Ferrell’s family in a separate lawsuit.
Ottley recalled the events of the trial and questioned whether anything has changed in Charlotte since his death. She also drew comparisons between his death and George Floyd’s, who died at the hands of Minneapolis police in May.
“We watched them criminalize him,” Ottley said. “Until we unite and really get together and start holding our public officials accountable and start holding the police department accountable and showing up, nothing’s going to change.”
Muslim activist Jibril Hough called out Charlotte city officials and the police department’s lack of transparency. He also spoke about the police’s violence against protesters in late August during the Republican National Convention in Charlotte.
“The time for talking is over,” he said. “This police department has a problem with transparency. I don’t care if you have a Black mayor, a Black police chief. Until you change the system, you’ll have a Black person perpetuating the white supremacy of the police department.”
He said that the city has forgotten about Ferrell and asked the audience to remember what happened to him.
“Before Black Lives Matter was at the stage it is now, we had Jonathan Ferrell,” he added. “Don’t go to another march without shouting out his name.”
Ottley ended the night by asking the audience to repeat after her as she called out the names of 15 people who died at the hands of CMPD, including Keith Lamont Scott and Danquirs Franklin.
Elisabeth Spivey, 28, didn’t know about Ferrell’s death before coming to the event. But she said she believes it’s up to her generation to “stand up and make a change.”
“I think we are being hunted like dogs, that Black people are being hunted like dogs in Charlotte and across the country,” she said. “But I believe there’s going to be a shift, and I’m excited about it.”
Ottley’s organization is planning an event on Oct. 11 — what would’ve been Ferrell’s 32nd birthday. Ferrell’s family will be in attendance, she said.
“Every year on this anniversary, we are going to speak truth to power,” Ottley said. “Because what happened was wrong.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 11:05 PM.
