Omar Suleiman – Justice for Stephon Clark, Jordan Edwards, Jamilah Arshad

Omar Suleiman
Share Page

AI: Summary ©

The speakers discuss the ongoing violence in the Muslim community, including police brutality and the loss of their relatives. They urge the community to focus on their own values and allow their brother and sister to speak for their families. The segment ends with a brief recap of the trial and a brief recap of the trial's results.

AI: Summary ©

00:00:00 --> 00:00:00
			I'm
		
00:00:06 --> 00:00:45
			similar on him the Los Altos Mr. Sula. On early, he was talking to him. And voila. Before I start
talking about what I actually want to speak about tonight, I just want to actually congratulate the
organization of Akena for putting together such a wonderful convention once again, I personally have
found so much of it beneficial Hamdulillah. And one of the things that I appreciate about Akena is
that it offers a feeling of home when we have these discussions as a community. So may Allah reward
the brothers and sisters that they can unmask for once again, out signing themselves in the previous
year, and putting together a convention of this sort. So if you all can give them a round of
		
00:00:45 --> 00:00:46
			applause and salah.
		
00:00:50 --> 00:00:55
			And Dr. Altaf told me to tell you to donate. So keep donating, Inshallah,
		
00:00:56 --> 00:01:13
			the issue that has struck the hearts and minds of so many people in the United States once again,
and I want us to begin by actually looking at an image of Stephon Clark. So I'm going to ask
backstage to put up this image.
		
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19
			This is the Stefan
		
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22
			that you're not going to see in the media
		
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26
			over the next few months and years to come.
		
00:01:27 --> 00:01:45
			This is Stefan with the mother of his children, his children, Aidan and Cairo, who a few nights ago
as we hosted a forum in Sacramento, his kids were playing around on their mother's phone, smiling,
laughing, not having any idea what was going on.
		
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49
			This is a man who
		
00:01:50 --> 00:02:09
			had his troubles, like many of us have our troubles in fact, we all have our troubles, and will be
purposefully Miss characterized by being characterized by nothing but those troubles for the rest of
the existence of his memory on Earth.
		
00:02:10 --> 00:02:29
			His children will grow up searching his name, and we'll find people smearing him and disparaging him
making the case that he deserved to be hunted down like an animal, have his body ripped to pieces.
And some people will naively say, well, he's no Malcolm.
		
00:02:30 --> 00:02:36
			Well, maybe if Malcolm was gunned down at the age of 22, his record would look a lot like Stefan's
		
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39
			maybe if you gave him a chance,
		
00:02:40 --> 00:02:56
			without murdering him and assassinating him, we wouldn't be able to talk about a young man who
completely turned his life around, who instead of having his family talk about establishing a
resource center or library in his name could have lived to do so for himself.
		
00:02:57 --> 00:03:08
			If you are a Muslim, you believe in the redemptive nature of Islam. And you believe in the potential
of every person to grow up to be special.
		
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12
			This is the stuff on that I want you to memorize.
		
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16
			This is the stuff on that I want you to look at.
		
00:03:17 --> 00:03:33
			And I don't know that in a Muslim gathering or Muslim convention this has ever happened, where we
insisted on saying their names. So I want you all to say his name as loud as you can. Stefan Clark,
		
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37
			Stephon Clark.
		
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43
			There are people now in the streets in Sacramento that are chanting his name,
		
00:03:45 --> 00:03:54
			and likely what will happen to those that murdered him, or similar to what has happened to those
that have murdered elsewhere in this country. We're here in the home of Freddie Gray.
		
00:03:56 --> 00:04:29
			charges will be filed convictions will not happen. They will wait for your outrage to subdue, they
will wait for it to no longer be a national conversation. And then they will release the verdict and
then they will release more egregious videos as we're seeing today. Footage of Alton Sterling, who
was murdered in Baton Rouge where a cop tells him that I'm going to kill you as he's walking him to
the car before they actually put him in the ground and fire bullets into his chest on camera.
		
00:04:30 --> 00:04:55
			A day after Philando Castile the verdict comes back a man who was murdered in front of his daughter
with his daughter in the backseat who did everything he was told to do complied just as they always
say just follow directions and you won't have an issue and that seven bullets put into his head in
front of his daughter, his young daughter. After the verdict. They released more footage.
		
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00
			This is Stefan Clark and I want you to remember
		
00:05:00 --> 00:05:00
			As the
		
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04
			this here is Jordan Edwards.
		
00:05:06 --> 00:05:12
			Jordan was 15 years old, high school freshman in Dallas, Texas and ball springs.
		
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16
			Jordan was a straight A student.
		
00:05:17 --> 00:05:23
			And I'm not mentioning that because if he was a complete failure, he still wouldn't have deserved to
be killed the way that he was.
		
00:05:25 --> 00:05:31
			straight A students potentially would have gone on to be a high school valedictorian captain of his
football team
		
00:05:33 --> 00:05:44
			has one of the best fathers I've ever met in my life. And I don't say that lightly. His father is
one of the most loving fathers I have ever met in my entire life.
		
00:05:46 --> 00:05:52
			Jordan went to a party that night, and before your mind starts going places
		
00:05:54 --> 00:05:58
			about what type of party it was the type of party 15 year olds go to.
		
00:06:00 --> 00:06:04
			One of the neighbors called the cops because of the disturbances from next door.
		
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09
			And officer shows up to the scene by the name of Roy Oliver.
		
00:06:11 --> 00:06:26
			Jordan was in the car with his brothers as they heard the shots fired. Everyone jumped in their cars
and tried to get away which is common sense. You would try to get away if you're hearing gunshots
fired from wherever you are.
		
00:06:29 --> 00:06:33
			The last thing Jordan saw in his life was he looked over.
		
00:06:35 --> 00:06:39
			As officer Roy Oliver came to the passenger window where he was sitting.
		
00:06:41 --> 00:06:46
			Jordan looked and what he saw on his face was the barrel of an AR 15.
		
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52
			The last word that Jordan uttered was duck
		
00:06:53 --> 00:06:54
			to his brother's
		
00:06:57 --> 00:07:06
			an officer Roy Oliver, began to unload a long rifle this Iraqi military veteran into the head of a
15 year old boy.
		
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13
			His brothers literally saw his brains blown out.
		
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18
			They still talk about seeing the smoke coming out of their brother's head.
		
00:07:19 --> 00:07:26
			Not only that they were taken into custody and questioned all night and interrogated as if they had
done something wrong.
		
00:07:28 --> 00:07:33
			The first report, the officer said that the car was backing up violently.
		
00:07:36 --> 00:07:42
			Then when the body cam footage showed otherwise, the police chief said I misspoke.
		
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47
			The car actually wasn't moving violently at all.
		
00:07:48 --> 00:08:03
			They then started to cast this image of Jordan that maybe he was this thug. Maybe he was drinking
maybe he was being abrasive and aggressive. The autopsy showed no alcohol in his body. He did
absolutely nothing wrong but being a 15 year old black boy in this racist country.
		
00:08:06 --> 00:08:16
			It's been one year Roy Oliver walks free. The trial starts the summer. I want you to say his name as
loud as you can. Jordan Edwards.
		
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21
			The first time I met his father and hugged him.
		
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25
			Odell said to me.
		
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30
			I did everything I was supposed to do.
		
00:08:33 --> 00:08:37
			What did I do to have to bury my 15 year old son
		
00:08:39 --> 00:08:45
			played sports with him, tutored him after school, spent time with him every day.
		
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50
			His other sons can't sleep at night with the lights off anymore.
		
00:08:51 --> 00:08:55
			Grown teenagers. What was I supposed to do?
		
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59
			The last person I'm going to discuss tonight
		
00:09:00 --> 00:09:20
			because some of these images have become somewhat prominent, though for some reason. Jordans name
and image is not what it should be in the country today and I want you to remember him as the trial
starts to unfold this summer. The last person I want to speak about
		
00:09:21 --> 00:09:26
			is a sister by the name of Jamila. Yasmine autoset.
		
00:09:29 --> 00:09:34
			Dr. Jamila, Yasmine out of suds actually has a history here in DC.
		
00:09:36 --> 00:09:43
			She's a revert to Islam and her adult life. Before she was a Muslim, she went to high school in New
York.
		
00:09:44 --> 00:09:48
			She finished her pre med here at George Washington University.
		
00:09:50 --> 00:09:54
			She actually interned at Franklin Square hospital for internal medicine
		
00:09:55 --> 00:09:59
			became one of the most respected neurologists in Nuwara
		
00:10:00 --> 00:10:00
			Louisiana
		
00:10:03 --> 00:10:08
			This is a woman that you probably have never heard about and if you search her name online you will
get very little.
		
00:10:10 --> 00:10:17
			In 2005, Dr. Jamila son, Nadeem had just got accepted into Georgetown University.
		
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23
			Jamila is a member of my community
		
00:10:25 --> 00:10:34
			lives in a very lived in a very nice neighborhood. Practice that one of the best hospitals. And I
want you to think about how noble this woman was.
		
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39
			She was driving home from work at night.
		
00:10:40 --> 00:10:44
			And she saw a young boy that was riding his bike get hit by a car.
		
00:10:46 --> 00:10:51
			So she stopped her car to help that young boy who was dying in front of her.
		
00:10:53 --> 00:10:58
			As she got out of her car and started to resuscitate the boy and to try to help that boy.
		
00:11:00 --> 00:11:15
			A man walked by and told her who are you and what are you doing? She said, I'm a doctor. This is my
space. Please let me work on this boy. Basically, I'm trying to save this boy's life right now.
		
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19
			That man called the cops.
		
00:11:21 --> 00:11:26
			And he told the police that there is a black woman. I quote a black woman
		
00:11:27 --> 00:11:32
			who is tending to this boy and she claims she's a doctor, but I don't believe her.
		
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38
			Officer Gerald Miller shows up to the scene
		
00:11:40 --> 00:11:52
			along with other officers without actually taking the time to analyze her credentials or get a hold
of the situation picks her up a 51 year old woman and slams her to the pavement.
		
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14
			When Dr. Jamila got up
		
00:12:16 --> 00:12:21
			and try to explain herself and yes obviously was disturbed by the situation.
		
00:12:22 --> 00:12:39
			The police report says she swatted her arm and because of that the officer did a Leg Sweep on her
that left her face first on the pavement. And then he sat on her back with all of his weight and
handcuffed her and threw her into the back of a police car.
		
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44
			She started having a seizure of shorts.
		
00:12:46 --> 00:12:55
			He locked the car on her. The hospital is literally five minutes or less away, walked away from the
car.
		
00:12:57 --> 00:13:04
			She was kicking the door and she was in the backseat trembling and she had a cardiac arrest and she
died
		
00:13:11 --> 00:13:18
			after some time passed, another man walked by and saw Dr Jamila in the car and reported that he saw
the foam out of her mouth.
		
00:13:20 --> 00:13:28
			So when he informed the other officers you know what he said? He said I don't have the keys to the
car. Let me call my partner. It took him 10 minutes
		
00:13:29 --> 00:13:36
			to get the keys to the police car to open the door and to find Dr. Jamila dead.
		
00:13:39 --> 00:14:04
			She is the textbook definition of a murder of a Shahida. We ask Allah that He grants her that
status. She died because she was a black woman in America trying to help a child that was hit by a
car. Had she decided that it was late at night and it wasn't worth it and she could have just went
home to her beautiful home
		
00:14:05 --> 00:14:11
			and be with her family. None of that would have happened. But she was too noble of a woman
		
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15
			to see that happen and not do anything.
		
00:14:17 --> 00:14:40
			For the last 13 years her family has fought to get some kind of charge some kind of conviction,
local state federal courts, and instead faced all white juries and constant roadblocks and the
officers that murdered Dr. Jamila still work for the Kenner Police Department.
		
00:14:44 --> 00:14:49
			I want you to say her name because it's never been said in a crowd Jamila otter shots.
		
00:14:52 --> 00:14:56
			Her son Nadeem returned from Georgetown that year and never was able to come back
		
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59
			their entire life for the last 13 years.
		
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01
			As has been defined by this tragedy,
		
00:15:03 --> 00:15:09
			your brothers and sisters 264 victims of police shootings
		
00:15:15 --> 00:15:20
			and 2018 987 and 2017. You tell me, it's only a few bad cops.
		
00:15:22 --> 00:15:27
			You tell me that people should pay attention and comply with instructions and they won't get shot.
		
00:15:29 --> 00:15:33
			You tell me that this is communities of colors fault.
		
00:15:35 --> 00:16:12
			Because if they wouldn't be so dangerous than the cops would not have to treat them this way. You
tell me that Jordan Edwards deserve to die. You tell me that your sister who said Lila Hala became
Muslim, I think here in this area and her adult life deserve to be killed for helping a child that
was struck on his bike. You tell me this isn't a systemic problem. You tell me this isn't a Muslim
cause you tell me this isn't a problem that each and every single one of us should be concerned with
you tell me with confidence that this might not be you one day on the screen.
		
00:16:14 --> 00:16:29
			You tell me that this is a civilized country. You tell me that our American policemen don't act like
the IDF now, like an occupying military, and communities of color. You tell me that there's proper
accountability.
		
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34
			You tell me that there are other issues
		
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37
			that are more important than this one.
		
00:16:38 --> 00:16:42
			You tell me that it's okay to simply put a hashtag up and move on in life.
		
00:16:44 --> 00:17:00
			I understand that there is a particular apprehension in our communities with taking up such a
controversial cause at this point in time. I get it. We have enough going against this right now.
Don't we as a Muslim community overall.
		
00:17:02 --> 00:17:14
			But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said hey, tourists Hakuna watan. Sorona elaborado artha
EComm Are you supported are given a by Allah except by the way that you treat your most vulnerable.
		
00:17:16 --> 00:17:24
			I understand that if you start to talk a little bit about too much police brutality, maybe the
police chief's not going to want to come to your Masjid next year.
		
00:17:26 --> 00:17:31
			I understand that if you talk about the atrocities that this government carries out around the world
		
00:17:33 --> 00:17:46
			dropping bombs on Muslim countries and non Muslim countries killing innocent people, then you might
not get invited to the next mayors have thought or governors have thought there aren't going to be
any White House of thought at anytime soon.
		
00:17:48 --> 00:17:52
			I understand that you might not be able to pull the same strings that you used to.
		
00:17:54 --> 00:17:59
			That you might not be able to get the same connections to say that we are an ideal community.
		
00:18:01 --> 00:18:28
			But just a shift Eosin was talking about not wanting or not caring about being popular, we need to
stop putting so much currency and access to power. Because power only comes from Allah subhanho wa
taala. And if we're afraid of power structures, not wanting to deal with us, because we critique
them so heavy than don't whine when that same power structure comes after you collectively as a
community and starts to take away your civil rights.
		
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35
			This is our issue.
		
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38
			This is our sister.
		
00:18:40 --> 00:18:57
			She died. And if you search her name, there are only two or three searches that will come up on
Google searches court records that you'll have to decipher. And they'll look very much so like the
court records with all the other ones. officer acted with reasonable measures.
		
00:18:58 --> 00:19:22
			You tell me if this sounds reasonable. And you tell me if this sounds civilized. And you tell me
this isn't a Muslim issue. I am making a plea to you Dear Brothers and Sisters, as a whole. And I
understand it is controversial. It is dangerous, it is going to cut off a lot of the connections,
the very little connections that we still have
		
00:19:24 --> 00:19:33
			the token support that we still get from some politicians, they're not going to want to talk to us
anymore. If we're too harsh in regards to these issues.
		
00:19:34 --> 00:20:00
			But Allah has expectations of you as well. And those expectations are more important. So I implore
you to take up this costs. There is no cause right now in this country that is more important for
the Muslim community than this one. And I say that and I'm not going to flinch. There is no cause
right now in this country that is more important for
		
00:20:00 --> 00:20:11
			For the Muslim community, stop claiming Malcolm X. If you're not going to talk about police
brutality, that was who Malcolm was. That was what his platform was about.
		
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17
			May Allah give us
		
00:20:18 --> 00:20:24
			the ability to speak up for our brothers and sisters and to actually enact change for them?
		
00:20:26 --> 00:20:29
			May Allah grant our sister Jamila shahada
		
00:20:30 --> 00:21:04
			May Allah subhanho wa Taala she stopped to help someone on the side of the road, a child may Allah
subhanaw taala allow her to enter Jannah without any hardship without any accountability. May Allah
use us in support of the victims, whoever they may be. May Allah subhanaw taala protect us and our
families. May Allah better this country through us, allow us to correct the affairs of this country
and rectify this country. May Allah forgive us when we find our tongues tied out of fear of other
than Him.
		
00:21:06 --> 00:21:09
			And may Allah subhanahu Bucha Allah have mercy on our brother Stefan
		
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13
			and forgive him for his sins
		
00:21:15 --> 00:21:38
			because of the brutal way in which he was mutilated, may Allah comfort those who he left behind and
those that are left behind from all of these victims allow Aidan and Cairo to grow up supported,
strong upon their Deen strong in their character strong and their identity dedicated to making sure
that no one else suffers from the same fate of their father.