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Activists demand charges in murder of Corey Stingley

By Jacob Flom

Protest demands justice for Corey Stingley

Milwaukee, WI – 35 people rallied outside the office of Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, April 17, to protest his refusal to prosecute the killers of 16-year-old Corey Stingley. In 2012, the Black high school student was strangled to death by three white adult men after being accused of shoplifting.

Led by the Stingley family, activists have been protesting D.A. John Chisholm all winter, after he announced his decision not to prosecute any of the men for killing Corey Stingley.

“I don't care if it's zero degrees out. I don't care about my feet, I will lose every toe to continue to fight if I have to!” said community activist Melissa Verdin.

Other speakers compared Chisholm's refusal to prosecute the murderers to the initial refusal to arrest and prosecute George Zimmerman for killing Trayvon Martin. Like Zimmerman, the three men who were interviewed in a John Doe investigation had contradictions arise in their interviews, which are refuted by video evidence of the attack. A John Doe investigation is a legal proceeding used to determine if a crime has been committed.

A new documentary film short recently published by Vice News includes both the security camera footage and audio of the John Doe investigation, which contradict each other. Despite these revelations, D.A. Chisholm has refused to bring any charges or further investigation. So far the U.S. Department of Justice has also turned down requests to investigate the murder.

Activists believe popular pressure could force officials to bring the vigilantes to trial, following the example of the popular support for Trayvon Martin which forced charges against Zimmerman.

In the documentary one man can be seen putting Stingley in a head-lock. “This documentary opened my eyes up in a whole new way to the depravity of this world ... there are no laws on the books to bring someone to justice for vigilantism and hold them accountable,” said Craig Stingley, Corey's father.

Click here to view the Vice News video: Racial Injustice in Milwaukee: Crime and Punishment

#MilwaukeeWI #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #Antiracism #CoreyStingley