Speaking To The Future Law Makers
Speaking on the far left is Andre Locke Sr., father of Amir Locke. Looking on are Jeff Storms, part of Amir parents’ legal team; and Karen Wells, Amir’s mother. Photo was by Andy Shure.
When Amir Locke, age 22, was sleeping in his cousin’s apartment in February 2022, a Minneapolis SWAT team broke into the apartment without knocking or making their presence known. They found Amir sleeping in the apartment and assumed he was their target. Because Amir had quickly secured a legally registered weapon which he used as part of his security job, a member of the SWAT team immediately began firing, killing Amir. There was no arrest warrant for Amir, and the person the police were seeking was not present in the apartment.
No criminal charges were ever fired against the officers involved in the shooting, but because of nationwide protests and various meetings with city officials, the City of Minneapolis recently implemented a no-knock warrant ban.
Currently, five states – Florida, Oregon, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Virginia – have completely outlawed no-knock warrants, which evolved into a police tactic during the height of the drug war.
Even where there’s agreement that change is necessary, policing is a local effort and police culture can vary from department to department and implementing change is difficult. Currently there are few national standards or requirements other than guidance set by the courts when a particular tactic or procedure is challenged.
Amir Locke’s parents, with their legal team, including Jeff Storms, Antonio Romanucci, and Ben Crump, are taking steps towards change.
On the evening of March 2, 2023, Amir’s parents and Attorney Jeff Storms met with about 250 University of Alabama law students on the Fayetteville campus at the invitation of the university’s Solidarity Society in conjunction with the Multicultural Center; undergraduate mock trial students; and the university’s Young Democrats organization.
In April 2023 Amir’s parents plan to meet in New York City with similar advocates for police justice reform.
Jeff Storms, part of the legal team focusing primarily on civil rights cases and part of this national effort for change, told the audience of law school students and others that ‘it’s heartbreaking to see the same mistakes in our communities over and over again.’
Also speaking from the audience was Fayetteville Chief of Police Greg Tabor, who was supportive of recommended changes in the no-knock legislation and of the efforts for change by Amir Locke’s parents.
Also speaking as part of the Fayetteville panel was Nigel Caffey, whose nephew, Terence Caffey, at the age of 30, died shortly after being arrested at a Little Rock movie theater in December 2021 by Pulaski County sheriff’s deputies and Little Rock police officers. Mr. Caffey, the uncle, said he was appalled by the behavior of officers and first responders towards Terence after his nephew began fighting with theater employees. He said his nephew’s life was disregarded.
Amir Locke’s mother added that a death like Nigel Caffey’s nephew or her son ‘really damages a family’ and that she – as well as her son’s siblings and relatives – are not the same as they were before.’ She added that Amir ‘was taken away by someone who was supposed to protect and serve.’
Andre Locke, Amir’s father, said when he learned of his son’s death, he ‘couldn’t believe it,’ and he reiterated that law enforcement accountability and transparency are crucial in regaining the public’s trust.
(We wish to credit Ryan Anderson, writer for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, for some of the data used in this story. The photo was by Andy Shure of that newspaper. Andre Locke Sr. is a founding longtime member of the Explosonic Rockers Street Jazz Theatrical Troupe, which morphed to the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe.)