On March 3, 2020, police killed 33-year-old Manny Ellis in Tacoma, Washington.
But more than three years later, Ellis’ loved ones are watching legal fees pile up as the trial date keeps getting pushed back. The prosecution and defense filed over 100 pages of motions arguing whether Ellis’ prior arrests, mental health history, and drug use should be excluded from court. Why?
According to Ellis’ family, he lived with depression, schizophrenia, and methamphetamine addiction. The officers’ defense wants to use that to explain his death, and how he demonstrated “superhuman strength,” historically anti-Black phrasing also used to describe Rodney King, George Floyd, and Michael Brown.
Although that language echoes a critical past, the attorneys also advocate for the jury to avoid it. A sequestered jury would be isolated from journalists, protesters, and loved ones. Court spectators may also be prohibited from wearing “political clothing.” Floyd’s name would be banned from the room.
The glaring undertaking here is removing race from Ellis’ death. Both sides must create a narrative of Ellis. The surviving narrative will dictate what is most important to focus on in this case. And dictate who wins.
And while this argument continues, so will the violence of the anti-Black police system. Is that justice?
And if it isn’t, what justice could we create in the world for Ellis instead?