From George Floyd to Victor Perez: the Public Health Crisis Everyone "Forgot" About
- Reyma McCoy Hyten
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- Apr 14
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 16
It’s Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month.
And Victor Perez, a seventeen-year-old Latine autistic boy from Idaho, is dead as the result of
police violence.
Police in the US kill, on average, six hundred people per year.
Black and Brown people are twice as likely to die as the result of police violence as white
people.
And, despite commitments to law enforcement reform made at the federal, state, and
municipal level coast to coast after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, more people are dying as the result of police violence than ever.
Connect the dots and see the picture: police violence is not only a public health issue- it's a crisis.
But, unfortunately, to say that the public’s interest in this crisis has waned since 2020 would be one of the greatest understatements in US history.
Save the empty promises made regarding “solidarity” in 2020, police violence, historically, has been an issue that #BigDisCo has been reticent to embrace. That said, police violence against Black and Brown people intersects with the disability rights movement in numerous ways:
-Viral images of melanated people being attacked and killed by those who are supposed to
“protect and serve” traumatizes members of Black and Brown communities;
-Constant monitoring of Black and Brown communities by law enforcement erodes the mental
health of community members;
-Police violence that doesn’t necessarily kill people may result in the acquisition of disabilities;
-Police violence factors into negative overall health differences within Black and Brown
communities. These disparities ultimately impact life expectancy rates for melanated people.
By the time George Floyd was murdered in 2020, there had already been several high-profile
instances of police violence against Black and Brown people, including those with disabilities, in the US. But outrage has devolved into indifference. Statements outlining commitments to addressing systemic racism, which used to be front and center on homepages for disability organizations five years ago are, today, are either figuratively or literally “404 file not found”.
Meanwhile, countless melanated people have died as the result of police violence in unacceptable obscurity since the murder of George Floyd, including:
1. Tony McDade aka Natosha McDade, 38, Tallahassee, FL
2. Modesto "Marrero Desto" Reyes, 35, Marrero, LA
3. Ruben Smith III, 35, North Little Rock, AK
4. Jarvis Sullivan, 44, Yulee, FL
5. Terrell Mitchell, 34, Philadelphia, PA
6. Momodou Lamin Sisay, 34, Snellville, GA
7. Derrick Thompson, 46, Fountain, FL
8. David McAtee, 53, Louisville, KY
9. Tyquarn Graves, 33, Brooklyn, NY
10. Kamal Flowers, 24, New Rochelle, NY
11. Lewis Ruffin Jr., 38, Orlando, FL
12. Phillip Jackson, 32, Tunnell Hill, GA
13. Michael Blu Thomas, 63, Lancaster, CA
14. Rayshard Brooks, 27, Atlanta, GA
15. Cane Van Pelt, 23, Crown Pont, IN
16. Donald Ward, 27, Phoenix, AZ
17. Brandon Gardner, 24, Beach Park, IL
18. Terron Jammal Boone, 31, Rosamond, CA
19. Derrick Canada, 43, Giddings, TX
20. Skyleur Toung, 31, San Bernardino, CA
21. Robert D'Lon Harris, Vinita, OK
22. Rasheed Mathew Moorman, 26, Roanoke, VA
23. Aloysius Larue Keaton, 58, Little Rock, AK
24. Kevin O. Ruffin, 32, Sheboygan, WI
25. Ky Johnson, 31, Kansas City, MO
26. William Wade Burgess III, 27, St. Louis, MO
27. Joseph W. Denton, 35, Milwaukee, WI
28. Paul Williams, Houston, TX
29. Malik Canty, 36, Paterson, NJ
30. Erroll Johnson, 31, Monroe, LA
31. Richard Lewis Price, 49, San Diego, CA
32. Hakim Littleton, 20, Detroit, MI
33. Vincent Demario Truitt, 17, Austell, GA
34. Aaron Anthony Hudson, 31, Syracuse, NY
35. Darius Washington, 24, Chicago Heights, IL
36. Vincent Harris, 51, Baton Rouge, LA
37. Jeremy Southern, 22, Sacramento, CA
38. Name withheld by police, Detroit, MI
39. Chester Jenkins, 60, Stockton, CA
40. David Earl Brooks Jr., 45, Roxboro, NC
41. Darrien Walker, 28, Detroit, MI
42. Ashton Broussard, 30, Houston, TX
43. Amir Johnson, 30, Ventnor City, NJ
44. Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis, 60, Sylvania, GA
45. Salaythis Melvin, 22, Orlando, FL
46. Jonathan Jefferson, Bossier City, LA
47. Rafael Jevon Minniefield, 29, Moreland, GA
48. Kendrell Antron Watkins, 31, Tuscaloosa, AL
49. Anthony McClain, 32, Pasadena, CA
50. Adrian Jason Roberts, 37, Hope Mills, NC
51. Trayford Pellerin, 31, Lafayette, LA
52. Damian Lamar Daniels, 31, San Antonio, TX
53. Julius Paye Kehyei, 29, Houston, TX
54. Name withheld by police, 43, Dearborn Heights, MI
55. Michael Anthony Harris, 44, Daytona Beach, FL
56. Robert Earl Jackson, 54, Thorsby, AL
57. Dijon Kizzee, 29, Westmont, CA
58. Deon Kay, 18, Washington, D.C.
59. Steven D. Smith, 33, Syracuse, NY
60. Major Carvel Baldwin, 61, San Antonio, TX
61. Steve Gilbert, 33, Delray Beach, FL
62. Jonathan Darsaw, 28, Moscow, TN
63. Robert Coleman, 88, West Sacramento, CA
64. Darrell Wayne Zemault Sr., 55, San Antonio, TX
65. Charles Eric Moses Jr., 33, Brunswick, GA
66. Dearian Bell, 28, Atlanta, GA
67. Patches Vojon Holmes Jr., 26, Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO
68. Kurt Andras Reinhold, 42, San Clemente, CA
69. Willie Shropshire Jr., 57, Waggaman, LA
70. DeMarco Riley, 27, Decatur, GA
71. Jonathan Price, 31, Wolfe City, TX
72. Stanley Cochran, 29, Philadelphia, PA
73. Tyran Dent, 24, Queens, NY
74. Anthony Jones, 24, Bethel Springs, TN
75. Kevin Carr, 23, Los Angeles, CA
76. Dana Mitchell Young Jr., 47, Los Angeles, CA
77. Fred Williams III, 25, Los Angeles, CA
78. Akbar Muhammad Eaddy, 27, Rock Island, IL
79. Dominique Mulkey, 26, Tampa, FL
80. Marcellis Stinnette, 19, Waukegan, IL
81. Rodney Arnez Barnes, 48, Elmwood Place, OH
82. Gregory Jackson, 45, Moss Point, MS
83. Mark Matthew Bender, 35, San Bernardino, CA
84. Ennice "Lil Rocc" Ross Jr., 26, Kansas City, MO
85. Jakerion Shmond Jackson, 19, Sylvester, GA
86. Walter Wallace Jr., 27, Philadelphia, PA
87. Maurice Parker, 34, Las Vegas, NV
88. Kevin Peterson Jr., 21, Vancouver, WA
89. Name withheld by police, 42, Detroit, MI
90. Justin Reed, 34, Jacksonville, FL
91. Michael Wright, Sacramento, CA
92. Reginald Alexander Jr., 25, Dallas, TX
93. Frederick Cox Jr., 18, High Point, NC
94. Rodney Eubanks, 25, Baltimore, MD
95. Vusumuzi Kunene, 36, Lanham, MD
96. Brandon Milburn, 37, Oklahoma City, OK
97. Tracey Leon McKinney, Gulfport, MS
98. Angelo "AJ" Crooms, 16, Cocoa, FL
99. Sincere Peirce, 18, Cocoa, FL
100. Arthur Keith, 19, Cleveland, OH
101. Name withheld by police, Inglewood, CA
102. Shane K. Jones, 38, Dania Beach, FL
103. Shawn Lequin Braddy, 37, Laurel, MD
104. Jason Brice, 39, La Vergne, TN
105. Kenneth Jones, 35, Omaha, NE
106. Rodney Applewhite, 25, Los Lunas, NM
107. Terrell Smith, 17, Atlanta, GA
108. Rondell Goppy, 41, Queens, NY
109. Ellis Frye Jr., 62, Culpeper, VA
110. Cory Donell Truxillo, Houma, LA
111. Mickee McArthur, 28, Ferry Pass, FL
112. Udofia Ekom-Abasi, Phoenix, AZ
113. James David Hawley, 47, Pineville, LA
114. Kevin Fox, 28, Detroit, MI
115. Dominique Harris, 20, St. Petersburg, FL
116. Maurice Jackson, 42, Phoenix, AZ
117. Andre K. Sterling, 35, Bronx, NY
118. Casey Christopher Goodson Jr., 23, Columbus, OH
119. Kwamaine O'Neal, 47, Toledo, OH
120. Mark Brewer, 28, St. Louis, MO
121. Donald Edwin Saunders, 37, Dayton, OH
122. Thomas Reeder III, 44, Flint, MI
123. Joseph R. Crawford, 23, Fort Atkinson, WI
124. Joshua Feast, 22, La Marque, TX
125. Charles E. Jones, 36, Houston, TX
126. Bennie Edwards, 60, Oklahoma City, OK
127. Jeremy Daniels, 29, Concord Mills, NC
128. Johnny Bolton, 49, Smyrna, GA
129. Larry Taylor, 39, Mobile, AL
130. Andre Maurice Hill, 47, Columbus, OH
131. Isaac Frazier, 31, Houston, TX
132. Sheikh Mustafa Davis, 20, Midway, GA
133. Shamar Ogman, 30, Hartford, CT
134. Marquavious Rashod Parks, 26, Davisboro, GA
135. Larry Hamm, 47, Denver, CO
136. Helen Jones, 47, Phoenix, AZ
137. Jason Cooper, 28, Charleston, SC
138. Jaquan Haynes, 18, Atlanta, GA
139. Shyheed Robert Boyd, 21, Highland, CA
140. Dolal Idd, 23, Minneapolis, MN
141. Carl Dorsey III, 39, Newark, NJ
142. La Garion Smith, 27, Homestead, FL
143. Tre-Kedrian Tyquan White, 20, Richburg, SC
144. Vincent Belmonte, 18, Cleveland, OH
145. Shawn McCoy, Spokane, WA
146. Robert "Lil Rob" Howard, 30, Memphis, TN
147. Jason Nightengale, 32, Evanston, IL
148. Matthew Oxendine, 46, Pembroke, NC
149. Patrick Warren Sr., 52, Killeen, TX
150. Lymond Maurice Moses, 30, Wilmington, DE
151. Kershawn Geiger, 24, Carmichael, CA
152. Reginald Johnson, 48, Biloxi, MS
153. Zonterious Johnson, 24, Lawton, OK
154. Christopher Harris, 27, Toledo, OH
155. Eusi Malik Kater Jr., 21, Titusville, AL
156. Tyree Kajawn Rogers, 38, Wichita Falls, TX
157. Randy Miller, Los Angeles, CA
158. Roger D. Hipskind, 37, Wabash, IN
159. Karl Walker, 29, Dixon, CA
160. Marvon Payton Jr., 27, Las Vegas, NV
161. Jenoah Donald, 30, Hazel Dell, WA
162. Dontae Green, 34, Baltimore, MD
163. Treyh Webster, 18, Mobile, AL
164. Christopher Hagans, 36, Stratford, CT
165. Andrew Hogan, 25, Trotwood, OH
166. Dustin Demaurean Powell, 34, Lakeview, TX
167. Gregory Taylor, 45, Seattle, WA
168. Jordan Walton, 21, Austin, TX
169. Brandon Wimberly, Coral Gables, FL
170. Daverion Kinard, 29, Fontana, CA
171. Arnell States, 39, Cedar Rapids, IA
172. Benjamin Tyson, 35, Baltimore, MD
173. Donald Francis Hairston, 44, Culpeper, VA
174. Chandra Moore, 55, Detroit, MI
175. Andrew Teague, 43, Columbus, OH
176. Howayne Gale, 35, Lakeland, FL
177. Tyshon Jones, 29, Rochester, NY
178. Tyrell Wilson, 32, Danville, CA
179. Nika Nicole Holbert, 31, Nashville, TN
180. Christopher Ruffin, 28, Palm Bay, FL
181. Daryl Lenard Jordan, 50, Miami, FL
182. Kevin L. Duncan, 38, Bellefontaine, OH
183. Frankie Jennings, 32, Charlotte, NC
184. Travon Chadwell, 18, Chicago, IL
185. Malcolm D. Johnson, 31, Kansas City, MO
186. Donovan W. Lynch, 25, Virginia Beach, VA
187. Matthew Blaylock, 38, Los Angeles, CA
188. Michael Leon Hughes, 32, Jacksonville, FL
189. Willie Roy Allen, 57, Lithonia, GA
190. DeShawn Latiwon Tatum, 25, Rock Island, IL
191. Noah R. Green, 25, Washington, D.C.
192. Diwone Wallace, 24, Alorton, IL
193. Gabriel Casso, 21, Bronx, NY
194. Desmon Montez Ray, 28, Birmingham, AL
195. Dominique Williams, 32, Takoma Park, MD
196. James Lionel Johnson, 38, Takoma Park, MD
197. James Alexander, 24, Philadelphia, PA
198. Raheem Reeder, Tallahassee, FL
199 DeShund Tanner, 31, Georgetown, KY
200. Faustin Guetigo, 27, Rockford, IL
201. Daunte Wright, 20, Brooklyn Center, MN
202. Miles Jackson, 27, Westerville, OH
203. Mathew Zadok Williams, 35, Decatur, GA
204. Anthony Thompson Jr., 17, Knoxville, TN
205. Pier Alexander Shelton, 28, Bremen, GA
206. Lindani Myeni, 29, Honolulu, HI
207. Innes Lee Jr., 25, Cleveland, OH
208. Roderick Inge, 29, Tuscaloosa, AL
209. Larry Jenkins, 52, Winter Haven, FL
210. Name withheld by police, 31, Fort Worth, TX
211. Dequan Cortez Glenn, 24, Douglasville, GA
212. Doward Sylleen Baker, 39, Dothan, AL
213. Ma'Khia Bryant, 16, Columbus, OH
214. Andrew Brown, 42, Elizabeth City, NC
215. Tory Casey, 41, Rosenberg, TX
216. Michael Lee McClure, 26, Billings, MT
217. Marvin Veiga, 32, Nashville, TN
218. Hanad Abidaziz, 25, Kansas City, MO
219. Terrance Maurice Parker, 36, Washington, D.C.
220. Eric Derrell Smith, 30, Biloxi, MS
222. Latoya Denis James, 37, Woodbine, GA
223. Ashton Pinkee, 27, Mesquite, TX
224. Adonis Traughber, 54, Clarksville, TN
225. Kalon Horton, 29, Leicester, MA
226. Lance Lowe, 30, Stockton, CA
227. Tyrone Penny, 21, Decatur, GA
228. Darion M. Lafayette, 24, Champaign, IL
229. Kortnee Lashon Warren, 23, Albany, GA
If you’re still reading, this list only accounts for the Black people killed by police in the US between May 26th , 2020 and October 4th , 2021.
The list is missing the names of hundreds of Black people killed by police since then.
And, if the estimate that 40% of the people on this list are disabled (likely that number is low), every name through the “double digits” would reflect the death of a disabled Black person.
The list is missing the names of Indigenous people, and therefore Indigenous disabled people.
The list is also missing the names of non-Black Latine people, and therefore non-Black Latine disabled people.
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