Community marches in St. Paul to demand accountability in Kohen Wiley’s death
“Why are we standing here trying to prove that a child’s life matters?” Chauntyll Allen, a St. Paul school board member, asked community members gathered outside the Minnesota governor’s residence in St. Paul on Sunday.
Adults and children gathered in solidarity with families affected by police violence, including the family of Kohen Wiley, a 1-year-old who was shot and killed by Senatobia police officer Hunter Foster in Mississippi in June.
After speakers addressed the crowd, the group marched along Lexington Avenue, chanting Kohen’s name and the names of others who died in encounters with police. Along the route, a group of dancers stopped to perform before continuing with the march.
Toshira Garraway Allen, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, said she helped organize the gathering to demonstrate solidarity across state lines.
“We can’t afford it anymore,” she said. “Here in Minnesota, to Mississippi, we must show that solidarity. We must show that an injustice to one of us is an injustice to all of us.”
The march followed Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s announcement that Foster’s use of force was justified.
Kohen was shot and killed June 14 in a Walmart parking lot while his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, held him on her lap in the front passenger seat of a car. Officers alleged that Kohen’s mother and the driver were shoplifting diapers. The driver, Latoya Ferrell, was also injured, according to The Associated Press.
Investigators said the driver drove toward officers, nearly striking them. However, the family argues that the shooting was not justified. The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, said an independent autopsy suggested Kohen was shot from the side of the car. Crump questioned whether Foster was in danger when he fired.
Foster has since resigned from the Senatobia Police Department. In a statement, Crump called for a federal investigation and asked that Foster be decertified.
For Eric, a march participant who declined to share his last name, attending the gathering meant working to prevent another death.
“I came out today because another Black life was taken. And I think it’s important to be in the streets, be with each other, and figure out how we’re going to stop things like this from happening,” he said.
Zachary Jones, another participant, asked people to imagine their own families in Kohen’s place.
“It’s just like thinking about if you had kids, if it was your baby,” Jones said. “We got to put ourselves in these people’s shoes.”
Patricia Claiborne brought her grandchildren to the gathering.
“I have my grandchildren here,” she said. “So they can learn about diversity, about Black lives mattering, and just, you know, what’s going on.”
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