New Haven Independent

Malik Jones, 21, was shot by Officer Robert Flodquist on April 14, 1997 after a traffic stop and a crosstown car chase that ended in the Grand Avenue lot where Monday night’s anniversary took place.

Flodquist said he feared for his life when he ran up to Jones’ car, smashed the window, and shot him to death. Jones was not armed. His mother, Emma Jones (pictured), pursued the case in court with mixed results. Flodquist was not indicted by a grand jury (which accepted the officer’s argument that he feared Jones was trying to run him over with his car). Emma Jones later won a multi-million dollar verdict against the town and Flodquist when a jury ruled the officer had violated her son’s civil rights. The town of East Haven has appealed that ruling, based at least in part on a state law that municipalities can’t be held liable for civil damages.

Jones told the more than 50 supporters — diverse in race and age — that she had a simple message for East Haven officials: “Do the right thing. Withdraw those appeals and let this family and community move forward with closure.”

She enumerated several changes that were initiated to a significant degree by the death of Malik Jones and her struggle for justice, including a civilian police review board in New Haven; a statewide “no chase” police policy; a state law outlawing racial profiling; dialogue on race relations among political and religious leaders; and local groups that sprang up to fight racial injustice all over the region. Jones played a major role in all that.

Jones asked a dozen different people in the crowd to make a brief statement representing each year since her son was killed. Barbara Tinney, executive director of the New Haven Family Alliance (pictured on the right, with Jones), spoke about 1997, when Jones organized a march from New Haven to East Haven a few months after her son was killed. “I walked with Emma to East Haven,” she said, “and I felt the hatred spewed by ordinary citizens as we walked through that town.”

She also spoke about the current efforts of the Community Outreach Team, which works out of the Alliance, to get young people of color to stop shooting each other. Click here for more.

Another speaker was Stephen “Zak” Tomczak, a white man from Wallingford who contacted Emma for help when a good friend of his, who was mentally unstable, was killed by police officers in a church in Brattleboro, Vermont. As a result of their efforts, Brattleboro now has a citizen police review board. “So,” he said, ” I’ll stand here today, tomorrow, and for the next 20 years - whatever it takes to get justice for Malik.”

Rev. Tyson (pictured in the middle), whose son was killed by a car while fleeing police officers who were pursuing him, also praised Jones, who he said came over to help his family as soon as he contacted her. He announced Monday night that a wrongful death lawsuit he’d been pursuing for years was going to move forward.

Barbara Fair, a co-founder of People Against Injustice, mentioned one thing that everyone could do — greet a young person of color when you pass him or her on the street. “You don’t know what a big difference it makes. When we look at them as ‘our kids’ and not ‘those kids’ we can make a difference in their lives,” she said.

After the 11 years were commemorated, everyone took hands in a circle to remember others who have died by violence and to pledge to keep working together for peace and justice.