Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Former Police Officer to Stand Trial for Patrick Lyoya’s Murder

Christopher Schurr will go to trial for fatally shooting Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head during a traffic stop in April in Michigan. To truly win justice, we need to continue to organize against the police and the system they uphold.

Facebook Twitter Share
Christopher Schurr, who murdered Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids, MI, sits in a court room.

Today, Grand Rapids District Judge Nicholas Ayoub ruled that former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr will stand trial for the murder of Patrick Lyoya, a 26 year-old Black refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Schurr is charged with a single count of second-degree murder for shooting Patrick Lyoya in the head at point-blank range during a traffic stop.

Judge Ayoub made the decision after reviewing evidence, including a graphic video of the killing, presented at a two-day preliminary hearing where the prosecution and defense argued whether there was enough evidence to take Schurr’s case to trial. Schurr has pleaded not-guilty. 

That Schurr will be charged is welcome news to the movement in Grand Rapids in particular as well as the broader movement against police brutality and systemic racism. Activists in Grand Rapids continue to organize, even in the face of systematic repression by the Grand Rapids Police Department and Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker. This repression was recently expressed in the outrageous imprisonment of activist Brittany “B” Hawkins for spray painting a police barricade and for possessing a personal taser, which they carry for their own protection. Republican Circuit Court Judge Curt Benson imprisoned B for three months on these minor charges, which would normally not result in prison time, illustrating the lengths the state will go to repress the movement to win justice for Patrick Lyoya and other victims of police brutality. Several other movement leaders in Grand Rapids are also facing charges, including felonies, for protesting Patrick’s murder.

Organizers, including those with Detroit Will Breathe, have circulated a call for B’s release. Supporters are encouraged to call Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office at (517) 335-7858 to demand that Whitmer use her gubernatorial powers to defend the democratic right to protest, pardon B, and secure their immediate release from prison.

B’s case demonstrates that although Schurr’s charging is a victory for the movement, the fight for justice is far from over. The state was forced to charge Schurr in an attempt to quell the movement. But activists know that Schurr is one bad cop in a rotten system. Cops across Michigan and the country unleash unspeakable violence against Black people, poor communities, the working class, and so many others.

Through the cops and the courts, the state is locking up activists like B — and many other political prisoners from BLM and other movements — to dissuade dissent against this evil and repressive system. From Patrick Lyoya to B, we can see that the police are little more than armed thugs who enforce capitalism’s reign of exploitation and oppression.

To truly win justice for Patrick, B, and other activists facing charges in Grand Rapids and across the US, we need to continue to organize against not just the police but the system they uphold.

Facebook Twitter Share

United States

The New Hollywood McCarthyism Emerging Around Palestine

Over the past week, a new Hollywood McCarthyism has emerged: multiple people in Hollywood have jobs and representation over their support of Palestine. We must denounce and fight these attacks which weaken the movement and scare supporters into silence.

Sybil Davis

December 3, 2023
A UAW sign is held next to a "Free Palestine" sign

The UAW Has Called for a Ceasefire. It’s Time for All of Labor to Stand Up.

The UAW International union has joined calls for a ceasefire and is exploring how to divest from Israel. This is a step which should inspire union activists to take up the fight to bring their union into the fight against Israel's attack on Gaza and the struggle against imperialism.

Rose Lemlich

December 2, 2023

A Pause in Genocide Is Not Enough: Jewish Voice for Peace Shuts Down the Manhattan Bridge

Amid a pause in Israel’s offensive on Gaza, Jewish Voice for Peace is showing that the movement for Palestine will continue. Civil disobedience must lead to broad protests which bring all sectors of the movement together.

Samuel Karlin

November 26, 2023
Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid, and Tahseen Ahmed wearing Keffiyes. They were shot in Burlington, Vermont, USA.

The Three Palestinians Shot in Burlington Are Victims of Rising Islamophobia

Three Palestinian men were shot in Burlington Vermont while walking down the street. The campaign against Palestine has dehumanized all Palestinians and left them more vulnerable to these types of attacks.

Sybil Davis

November 26, 2023

MOST RECENT

All That's Left, the podcast from Left Voice.

#AllThatsLeftPod: What the Historic UAW Victory Means for the Working Class

In this episode of the podcast, we discuss the historic UAW victory, its shortcomings, and the tasks for the future.

Left Voice

December 5, 2023

Robert Habeck Wrote a Play Praising a Right-Wing Mass Murderer

Germany's Green vice chancellor strikes many as an idealist who has been struggling with the tough realities of government. Yet before he was a national politician, he wrote a play that opens a window into a dark soul.

Nathaniel Flakin

December 1, 2023

The World Kissinger Built Must Die Too

Henry Kissinger died at 100 years old. But his legacy remains in the brutal world system he built and the future generations of imperialist ghouls he inspired. They all must go.

Samuel Karlin

November 30, 2023

Fact Check: Did German Leftists Try to Bomb West Berlin’s Jewish Community Center in 1969?

Answer: No. The bombing was undertaken by West Germany’s domestic secret service, originally founded by Nazis.

Nathaniel Flakin

November 29, 2023