Clinton was a bouncing baby boy born September 26, 1987 11 pounds 13oz at 9:44 pm. He was a delightful and curious child who was extremely articulate from a very early age. He was an avid writer and had a keen sense of empathy for others. His life long dream was to become the 5th generation rancher in his family. It was truly a joy to be his mother.
On March 10, 2013, at just 25 years old, Clinton was brutally killed by a Dallas police officer. He was shot seven times, including once in the armpit (indicating he had his hands up) and once in the back. He was unarmed.
Clinton was a son, father, brother, partner, friend and much more to the people who knew and loved him. He was a part of a community. He was a citizen of this country. But above all, he was a human being. Like so many other young men that have been in the news – Trayvon Martin, Ramarley Graham, Oscar Grant, Micheal Brown, and Eric Garner, Clinton’s life was unjustly cut short because he was African-American in the wrong place at the wrong time. Clinton’s family and friends do not accept that as his legacy.
We are fighting back. Not only for Clinton, but for the thousands of silenced men that have been victims of police brutality, racial profiling and dubious gun control laws. Over the past six months, the Clinton R. Allen Foundation has created a grassroots network of supporters – from lawyers to musicians – and people across the country and the world to stand in action and solidarity for Clinton’s justice and against police brutality in Dallas, Texas. Not only are we fighting for Clinton’s justice, but to end the larger problems of racial profiling and police brutality. In our activism and research, we’ve found that Dallas has one the worst histories and track records of police brutality and deadly fire against unarmed African-American men in the country.
Since the 1973 Russian roulette murder of Santos Rodriguez by a cop, Dallas has refused to indict a police officer in the death of an unarmed citizen for 40 years. According to research provided by the Dallas Police Department from Open Records Request, in action and solidarity for Clinton’s justice and against police brutality in Dallas, Texas. Not only are we fighting for Clinton’s justice, but to end the larger problems of racial profiling and police brutality. In those 40 years, over 400 unarmed African–American and Latino men have been killed by Dallas police officers over de-facto impunity. In the 1980s alone, over 80 unarmed African-American men were killed by the Dallas cops which prompted the FBI to come to the city and give recommendations. None of them have been followed, and the toll includes 68 (that have been accounted for) unarmed African-American and Latino men killed at the hand of Dallas cops since 2001. We as a city and a nation can no longer afford to ignore these miscarriages of justice.
Because of the coalition building that we’ve done and the grassroots advocacy that we’ve been engaged with, the Clinton R. Allen Foundation has been indirectly responsible for the indictment of a Dallas cop in the death of an unarmed citizen for the first time in 40 years. Clinton’s case is now considered a high-profile case within the Dallas Police Department and are working with or in contact a number of organizations, including Mothers Against Police Brutality, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Texas Civil Rights Project and dozens of organizations and volunteers that continuously give their talents and countless hours towards our cause.