Originally published in the Spring 2022 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 68, printed April 21. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Spring 2022 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

Earlier this year, the Virginia Defenders were invited to submit testimony to the Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which is examining police accountability in the country.

Virginia Defender editor Phil Wilayto gave testimony April 11 alleging official cover-ups by the Richmond Police Department in four cases of fatal police shootings in the city: Levester Carter in 2001, Verlon Johnson in 2012, Keshawn Hargrove in 2015 and Marcus-David Peters in 2018.

Princess Blanding, Peters’ sister and the 2021 Liberation Party candidate for governor, also testified.