Justice for Sam DuBose; The Murder Trial of Ray Tensing Begins
At 9am, concerned citizens gathered in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse to stand in solidarity with justice for Sam DuBose, the Cincinnati man killed by University of Cincinnati Officer Ray Tensing on July 19, 2015. Chants, speeches, and prayers were led by coalition of activists, including Black Lives Matter: Cincinnati and AMOS. The mood was one of combined tension and calm, as people acknowledged their fear that justice might not be served and their hope that it would be.
Several community activists noted that nothing had changed since the murder of Timothy Thomas in 2001, which had led to a failure of the justice system in convicting the police officer, who shot an unarmed Mr. Thomas in the back as he ran away. Conversational debate surrounded the idea of self-policing, educating communities on how to divest from the government agenda, and correcting systemic wrongs.
Brian Taylor of Black Lives Matter: Cincinnati's Steering Committee said, "Black Lives Matter:Cincinnati has the starting point that the legal system we see around us, the police, are institutions that are racist to the core. They are not equipped to deliver justice, and the facts show it. A cop in Cincinnati has never been convicted of murder, and there have been plenty."
Mr. Taylor continued to say that this trial is a "litmus test" as a way to "weigh what the consequences are...and our responsibility is to make them see the maximum consequence for a not guilty verdict. I'm convinced we have the power and the capability to put that pressure on them."
A representative from AMOS asked that Christians look at the Bible not through a lens of self-salvation but to instead apply the lessons within the Bible to enact social justice. She reminded those gathered that the courthouse was the kind of building where we would have found Jesus flipping over tables in outrage against injustices toward those with little standing or power.
The trial began shortly after 11am with the prosecutor, Joe Deters, and the defense attorney, Stew Matthews, conducting voir dire on the seated jury to determine the final readiness of the jurors in the case. Mr. Deters also said that the jurors should expect the trial to be over by November 18th, if not earlier. Judge Shanahan set the trial hours to be approximately 9am-1pm daily.
I did enter the courthouse in an attempt to get a seat inside Judge Shanahan's courtroom on the 5th floor and was rebuffed by Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies, who said the courtroom was full to capacity. I was directed to the Hamilton County Jail, where I was able to watch the proceedings on CCTV in Courtroom B.
Anyone interested in standing in solidarity outside the courthouse is welcome to join various activists and concerned citizens during the trial. The public is also invited to watch the proceedings live from the jail.