We were all brought to tears - Summer Taylor's mom's speech. Full text
We are unbelievably humbled to be surrounded by you all
this morning. The work of this community is to seek justice for those who for
centuries have been victims of oppression, violence, discrimination, and death.
And so we deeply thank you for extending your love to our child.
Whether Mr. Kelete intended to strike our child and Diaz
Love or whether it was an accident like he claims, the increasingly regular
practice of cars being used as weapons is REAL for the BLM protestors fighting
for change in this city. Before their death, Summer had texted me about seeing
a car run into a crowd of protesters. The Seattle Times featured protestors
reporting they were chased by cars on a daily basis. And there are multiple
reports that an off duty officer was obsessively menacing Summer & Diaz’s
group on more than one occasion.
My child is dead and someone else is terribly, terribly
injured. And it was Mr. Kelete who did that to them. But I can tell you
this: I am less angry at the possibility of a meth head experiencing temporary
psychosis when driving than I am petrified of the HATRED towards this movement
coming from so much of the public, including law enforcement.
So dear friends of Seattle, we want to assure you that it
is our goal to continue lifting up Summer’s spirit. Along with the criminal
charges brought against Mr.Kelete by the prosecutor’s office, Summer and
several other injured protesters will be part of a suit holding the city of
Seattle, the Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff’s office and
Washington State Patrol accountable for assault they suffered during protests
and for the lack of protection from outside threats. We plan to legally
hold ALL parties accountable whose actions related to the freeway that night
contributed to Summer’s death. We believe by doing this we will be helping
fight the fundamental issue of racism in Western Washington law
enforcement. For if officers had been more neutral & less resentful
toward protestors, this tragedy would not have happened. And definitely,
officers wouldn’t have posted memes about my baby the day they died.
The problems of racism in policing and racism in our
communities is real. Thank you so much for being here, for all your support,
your messages, your contributions. It has meant the world to us.
Dalia Taylor’s written speech. July 22, 2020. King County Superior Court Park
Photo: by me