Andre Locke's Quest for Policing Reform: A Year After Amir's Death

Amir Locke

Update on Troupe Alumnus Andre Locke’s Efforts to Improve State and National Policing Procedures and Methods Following the Death of His Son, Amir, in February 2022

A Red Carpet Documentary Film Premiere, ‘The Amir Locke Story,’ will be shown August 4, 2023, at a theater in Warrenville, Illinois, located west of Chicago, as the opening of the 2023 three-day Tylerman Film Festival.  A prelude to the documentary film about Amir may be viewed via a link below. The festival, like the documentary, has been created by Andrew Tyler, whose studio is in Lombard, Illinois.

As noted on previously posted stories on the ‘Recent Stories’ page of this MWAH! website and in the documentary, Amir Locke was killed February 22, 2022, at the age of 22 while he was sleeping in a downtown Minneapolis apartment.  The Minneapolis SWAT team responsible for the ‘no-knock’ entry did not have a warrant for Amir’s arrest when the officers stormed into the apartment, and Officer Mark Hanneman chose to kill him at close range when the officer saw a pistol in one of Amir’s hands.  The pistol was properly licensed and was used by Amir for security purposes as part of his day job.

Since Amir’s untimely death, his father, Andre Locke Sr., whose musician stage name is ‘Buddy McLain,’ and his mother, Karen Wells, have been tireless advocates for improving policing procedures and methods, particularly with respect to ‘no-knock’ warrants, not only in Minnesota, but throughout the country.

Amir, an aspiring musical artist, had numerous plans for further developing his own artistic career, following in the footsteps of his dad. 

Andre Locke Sr. was an original member of the traveling Explosonic Rockers Street Jazz Theatrical Troupe, beginning in 1984, and performed at schools and other venues throughout the country, spreading creative messages of hope and promise through dance, music, and acting. The Explosonic Rockers morphed to the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe (Messages Which Are Hopeful!) in 1993.  The troupe’s website is mwah.net. 

Amir Locke & Breonna Taylor

In an ‘Opinion Exchange’ story by Andre that was published July 6, 2023, in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, he noted that ‘in order to avoid more unjust killings like Amir’s and George Floyd’s, we need to understand that the problem is larger than one officer, one department, or even one city.’  Andre noted an ideology ‘that assumes that to reduce crime, the police must resort to ever more aggressive and rudderless law enforcement tactics – even if that means taking lives and violating the trust of the community they are sworn to protect’.  Andre added that Minneapolis has one example of this ideology, ‘but we see it take hold in cities across the country.’

In his letter, Andre concluded ‘that there must be robust and transparent mechanisms to hold officers accountable for misconduct.  And this includes truly ending deadly ‘no-knock warrants’ as well as holding civilian leadership responsible.’  He added that this accountability must come from the voters who elect those civilians who determine the direction of police departments.

Andre noted that ‘no reform can bring Amir back.’ However, he added, ‘it can prevent a further loss of innocent people and the ending of their own personal aspirations.

Highly supportive of Andre Locke Sr.’s passion for police reform has been Attorney Ben Crump, referred to by long-time civil-rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton as ‘Black America’s Attorney General.’  Attorney Crump sued the Minneapolis Police Department following the murder of George Floyd, helping to bring nationwide attention to police abuse.  He also has represented the families of police victims Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Michel Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, and others.  Like Andre, Attorney Crump has pushed for various police reforms on local, state, and national levels and has supported Andre in his own search for justice.

USA Today Sport reporter Mike Freeman reported on July 19, 2023, that Attorneys Ben Crump and Steve Levin had been hired by former Northwestern University football players for potential legal action against the university for years of physical and sexual hazing incidents that had occurred within the Northwestern program in Evanston, Illinois.  Ben Crump said that allegations he has heard ‘make this a civil rights issue.’ Attorney Crump added that he wants to try ‘to set a precedent that will prevent this type of physical and psychological trauma from happening to any other player again by ending hazing in college sports.’

Andre Locke is adamant that he and his family members are not against the police and other law enforcement officers so long as they follow proper policing procedures and respect the rights of others.

As an example, he notes that his cousin, Reggie McClure, is a SWAT team member and Pentagon police officer in Washington, D.C., and on May 11, 2023, received a Master’s Degree in both Criminal Justice and Homeland Security from Liberty University.  Twice Reggie has achieved special honors at a Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Georgia.  Reggie is a two-time Marine Corps combat veteran.

Like Andre, Reggie McClure also is an alumnus of the Explosonic Rockers Street Jazz Theatrical Troupe.

Explosonic Rockers Street Jazz Theatrical Troupe following a performance in 1984 in a school gym in Reynolds, located south of the Quad Cities in northwest Illinois.  Included are Andre Locke (front and center in an all-blue uniform), his cousin, Reggie McClure (extreme right), and troupe choreographer Steve (‘Stevo’) Brewster, who is standing behind Andre