Last summer, when the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a Civil Rights investigation into the death of Alton Sterling.
But once again, our hopes have been dashed.
We learned yesterday evening that the DOJ found that there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against the officers who took Sterling’s life.
We know this story. No matter how high profile the cast, no matter how much attention brought to the name of the slain, the outcome is the same: acquittal.
According to NPR, in anticipation of the decision, a vigil gathered on Tuesday night awaiting the Justice Department’s decision.
As you would assume, Sterling’s family members are not happy with the ruling. His aunt Veda Washington-Abusaleh said, “We need closure, we need a conviction. We need justice.”
There were also those who were disheartened to learn that the news had leaked to The Washington Post, before the family had been informed.
Even local authorities were left uninformed.
Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said, “I am appalled that this news, whether true or false, has been disseminated without a formal decision being relayed to the Sterling family first,” Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said. “Also, no one in my office or the governor’s office has been notified by the U.S. Attorney’s office of a decision or timeline.”
Later, another one of Sterling’s aunts, Sandra Sterling told ABC News:
“It’s like, we waited all this time for nothing,” Sterling’s aunt Sandra Sterling told ABC News. “And as we were going through the process, I kept asking them, ‘What happens if they come back with this decision?’ … They said, ‘Well, it will be worth the wait.’ But no, it’s not worth the wait. It’s not worth the wait. All this was for nothing.”
“It hurt, it hurt, it hurts so bad,” she said later. “I was trying to prepare myself for this, but I’m telling you, it’s a horrible pain. It’s like going back to the first day. It’s like going back to the first day all over again.”
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