1,000 signatures reached
To: Torrance City Council
Justice in the Name of #ChristopherDeAndreMitchell
1. Fire officers with the Torrance Police Department Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez, who murdered Christopher De'Andre Mitchell, and ensure that they are not hired elsewhere.
2. Recommend that the Los Angeles County District Attorney charge Officers Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez for the murder of Christopher De’Andre Mitchell.
3. Create a civilian oversight commission of the Torrance Police Department, as they were instructed to do by a grand jury in 2018.
Why is this important?
On December 9, 2018, Christopher De’Andre Mitchell was murdered by the Torrance Police Department in a Ralph’s grocery store parking lot. The only child of Sherlyn Haynes and Emanuel Mitchell, Christopher was a beloved young man who brought joy to everyone he met and was said to keep his family and friends laughing until their bellies and cheeks hurt. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone to help them and aspired to be a tattoo artist.
He was just 23-years-old when Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez, officers with the Torrance Police Department, murdered him within 15 seconds of approaching the vehicle in which he was sitting. While complying with Officer Concannon’s order to exit the vehicle, both officers opened fire on Christopher, who was unarmed. Four of the officers' bullets struck Christopher: in the shoulder, back, head and hand. The gunshot wound to his hand indicates that his hands were in a position of surrender at the time he was shot. The murder, captured on video, wen viral and sparked outrage, but justice has yet to been brought.
Christopher’s family and supporters - including Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles - have attended Torrance City Council meetings every week for the two years since his murder. Torrance City Council has refused to meet the very reasonable demands set forward. instead, City Council has filled its chambers with police in riot gear, who have brutalized Christopher's supporters to the point of hospitalization and arrested many on bogus charges. To further silence the family and organizers, City Council implemented “rules of decorum."
Torrance City Council is supposed to oversee the police department, but instead of accountability, they gave raises to Christopher's murderers: Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez, one of whom was also responsible for the murder of another man (Michael David Lopez).
This community-driven petition is offered in the name of Christopher De'Andre Mitchell, in strong solidarity with his family, and organized by Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles,