The left forum conference 2016! The conference has steadily grown over the years. There is a full room waiting to hear “A Father Perspective on Police Terrorism Against Children of Colour: Aberrations or Everyday Occurrences?”
I am sitting with Andrew Joseph Jr., father of Andrew Joseph III. The year was 2014 as Andrew stood to get on a ride. His team mates were being arrested and he went to inquire. The Gang task force was on the scene. Andrew was known as “Pee-Wee”. Pee-Wee picked up his friend show and hat and passed it to him. An academically intelligent 8th grade student who was slated for Holy Confirmation the next day responds to his friend and said, “I see how the officers are treating you.” The Gang Task Force officer questioned Andrew and made him pull up his shirt to see if he had any “Gang Tattoos”.
The school district gives students the day off and free passes to attend Student Day at the fair. As a result, tens of thousands pack into the fair each Student Day, and that has resulted in unruliness. In 2014, it led to violence. Deputies arrested 12 people and ejected 99 others.
Andrew Joseph III was then told to get into the car and they dropped him off 2 miles from the fair. The 14-year-old was killed trying to cross I-4 to return to the fairgrounds to meet his ride, his was hit by a car. The owner of the car never stopped. The owner who was 19 had the remains of Andrew on the grill of his car. The owner was never fined or ticketed.
