A few weeks ago I assisted the People’s Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland in setting up and conducting an interview with Emanuel Franklin, father of Desmond Franklin. On April 9, 2020, plain clothed Cleveland Police officer Jose Garcia, badge #2168 shot and killed Desmond. Garcia drove in an unmarked car, fired five shots into Franklin’s moving vehicle, killing Franklin, whose car crashed into a cemetery wall. Special prosecutor Daniel Kasaris, from Ohio Attorney’s General Dave Yost’s office has taken the case and is currently considering whether to present to the Grand Jury. Meanwhile, Garcia remains on paid leave.
How You Can Help
If you live in Ohio, call the Ohio Attorney General’s office (1-800-282-0515), and urge them to take this case to the Grand Jury to seek indictment of Officer Garcia.
If you are a Cleveland resident, call City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson (216-664-2000) and demand the firing of Jose Garcia by Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams for the murder of Desmond Franklin.
Don’t stop there, demand that Calvin Williams be removed, and in 2021 vote Mayor Jackson out of office.