10 signatures reached
To: Frank Vincent Brocato, Mayor
City of Hoover, Alabama & Mayor Frank Vincent Brocato: Recognize Emantic Bradford Jr. as a hero!
Emantic Bradford Jr. was a loving young man, who was a 'good guy with a gun.' His murder highlights the dangers of owning a gun while black and instead of being recognized as a hero, his character was attacked. He should be recognized for the hero and good person that he was, while the police officer who killed him and the system that keeps killing our black men are brought to justice.
Why is this important?
Heroism is defined as great bravery. Heroes are individuals who have empathy and compassion for others. The late Emantic Bradford Jr., a 21-year-old African American male who friends and family described as a good, considerate, fun-loving young man that cared for his father when he was ill, displayed those characteristics of a hero.
Emantic Bradford Jr. graduated from a Catholic high school in Birmingham, Alabama and later joined the U.S. Army. Emantic was administratively separated in August of 2018 and was awarded a specialty certification.
After having Thanksgiving dinner with his family, Emantic decided to go to the Riverchase Galleria mall to do some shopping. While at the mall, gunfire erupted. Emantic who legally owned a firearm and had absolutely nothing to do with the mall shooting, was then unjustly murdered by a Hoover police officer who responded to the scene.
From everything we know about Emantic Bradford Jr. and by all accounts, Emantic was a ‘good guy with a gun,’ that night reacting to a chaotic scene to not only save himself, but save the lives of others as well. Unfortunately, as is all too common in our society, African Americans are not protected by gun rights and are not viewed as ‘good guys, or good people with guns.’
Incredulously, following Emantic’s murder, the officer who murdered him was described as a hero, while Emantic’s character was assassinated. This officer was lauded, while not being publically identified, as Emantic was identified as being a criminal responsible for the mall shooting.
Thanks to the hard work of Emantic’s family and local activists, the world now knows the truth. An independent autopsy found that Emantic "EJ" Bradford Jr was shot three times from behind during the incident in the mall. Emantic was shot in the head, neck and lower back, all from behind. The report concluded that the "manner of death is homicide."
Based on facts and not systemic bigotry that often leads to controlled narratives and stereotypes that criminalize our Black men and women, the responding officer was no hero. The responding officer was a ‘coward,’ who shot a real hero in the back!
Based on these facts, we, the concerned public, demand that the city of Hoover Alabama, Hoover Alabama media, and the Hoover police department, all who spent time and energy, assassinating the character of Emantic Bradford Jr., while praising his murderer, keep that same energy and invest time in officially recognizing Emantic Bradford Jr. as a hero, awarding him posthumously, while pursuing justice for his murder.
If we are truly to be a nation that believes in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, while holding truths to be self-evident that ‘all men are created equal,’ we must be purposefully in engaging in the work required to turn theory into practice as based on what happened to Emantic Bradford Jr. and what continues to happen across the country, nothing is self-evident about equality.
Emantic Bradford Jr. graduated from a Catholic high school in Birmingham, Alabama and later joined the U.S. Army. Emantic was administratively separated in August of 2018 and was awarded a specialty certification.
After having Thanksgiving dinner with his family, Emantic decided to go to the Riverchase Galleria mall to do some shopping. While at the mall, gunfire erupted. Emantic who legally owned a firearm and had absolutely nothing to do with the mall shooting, was then unjustly murdered by a Hoover police officer who responded to the scene.
From everything we know about Emantic Bradford Jr. and by all accounts, Emantic was a ‘good guy with a gun,’ that night reacting to a chaotic scene to not only save himself, but save the lives of others as well. Unfortunately, as is all too common in our society, African Americans are not protected by gun rights and are not viewed as ‘good guys, or good people with guns.’
Incredulously, following Emantic’s murder, the officer who murdered him was described as a hero, while Emantic’s character was assassinated. This officer was lauded, while not being publically identified, as Emantic was identified as being a criminal responsible for the mall shooting.
Thanks to the hard work of Emantic’s family and local activists, the world now knows the truth. An independent autopsy found that Emantic "EJ" Bradford Jr was shot three times from behind during the incident in the mall. Emantic was shot in the head, neck and lower back, all from behind. The report concluded that the "manner of death is homicide."
Based on facts and not systemic bigotry that often leads to controlled narratives and stereotypes that criminalize our Black men and women, the responding officer was no hero. The responding officer was a ‘coward,’ who shot a real hero in the back!
Based on these facts, we, the concerned public, demand that the city of Hoover Alabama, Hoover Alabama media, and the Hoover police department, all who spent time and energy, assassinating the character of Emantic Bradford Jr., while praising his murderer, keep that same energy and invest time in officially recognizing Emantic Bradford Jr. as a hero, awarding him posthumously, while pursuing justice for his murder.
If we are truly to be a nation that believes in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, while holding truths to be self-evident that ‘all men are created equal,’ we must be purposefully in engaging in the work required to turn theory into practice as based on what happened to Emantic Bradford Jr. and what continues to happen across the country, nothing is self-evident about equality.