“This is what we expected from Mitch Morrissey. It’s just another signal that it’s OK for out institutions to kill black people. This is why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important now.”
Roshan Bliss of Black Lives Matter 5280 responded to the Denver District Attorney’s Office announcement earlier today that no criminal charges would be filed against deputies in the Denver Sheriff’s Department after the death of Michael Marshall who was held and restrained there on November 11, 2015 after an arrest for trespass on November 5, 2015. His bond had been set for the incident at $100. Marshall died November 21, 2015 after he was removed from life support the previous day.
A statement released this morning by the District Attorney Mitch Morrissey made repeated references to Marshall’s state of mental health and asserted what some have said has become “scripted” dialogue coming from his office including from those already in his office who are seeking to replace him in November’s election.
“To those calling for criminal charges in order to effect (sic) a change regarding use of force tactics or policies, I want to emphasize that criminal charges are appropriately used only to respond to criminal acts that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Absent that certainty of proof, criminal charges are not appropriate and are not justice.”
An autopsy of Michael Marshall released on January 8, 2015 listed his health as contributing to his death but also found that he had suffered multiple blunt force trauma injuries and abrasions to his back, chest, and face.
