Jamar Clark:  A Black Life that Mattered

By Lynn A. Granata

Last Sunday evening at a police precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota Jamar Clark was apprehended by the police over a domestic violence dispute.  Another one of those, was my first thought which came to mind.  Isn't it similar to last year's Ferguson incident?

However, Jamar wasn't merely apprehended, he was shot, plain and simple by a cop.  The precinct has since seen its fair share of tent pitched protesters littered all about the premises like an Occupy Movement style rant. 

Clark was handcuffed and on the ground, before police shot him above his left eye, which killed him. The police department's lawyer has stated that "Clark was not a decent and peaceful citizen because he had led a life of crime since he was a juvenile." The policeman responsible for the fatal injury denies any allegations of Jamar being handcuffed during the alleged scuffle. The cop's defense was that Jamar was resisting arrest and lurching for his gun while in its holster.

This incident is rather new, in that no information has been released as of yet as to how this began and then ended.  Witnesses have told another version, that they did see Clark handcuffed. But it could take a while before all of the pertinent facts are fully known.

But, for now, Clark's community has been holding candle light vigils near the precinct where he was murdered. Most people who knew him said that he was trying to change his life around and that he wanted to start a family of his own.  

Clark had lived a troubled life since birth, he was brought up in foster care since age 4. He got in trouble when he was a juvenile for a robbery and served 4 years in prison. Recently, Clark was living with his girlfriend until he got into an argument with her.  He didn't just peacefully walk away however, but he attempted to burn the house in which they were living in down. 

His girlfriend had a restraining order issued against him. This past summer he was working at a construction site and was doing quite well. Unfortunately, those who knew him well, such as his only sister, were distraught over what happened to him, because "they talked about him just like he was nothing more than a mere animal."