Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Justice for Jonathan Price, a Black Man Murdered by Police

A police officer Shaun Lucas shot and killed 31 year old Jonathan Price in Wolfe City, Texas. No justice, no peace.

Eli Dunn

October 7, 2020
Facebook Twitter Share
Jonathan Price/Facebook

On the night of October 3rd, police officer Shaun Lucas shot and killed 31 year old Jonathan Price in Wolfe City, Texas. Price was a city worker and fitness trainer who was born and raised in Wolfe City, and according to family, he was loved and respected by his community. Local news outlets reported that Price was murdered while intervening in a fight. His mother said that this was in line with her son’s character; “That’s what he always did, tried to help others. I taught him that all through the years.”

Officer Shaun Lucas was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, and as of October 5th he has been charged with murder, pending arrest. In a press release, the Texas Department of Public Safety described how Officer Lucas first tased, then shot Price as he attempted to walk away from the altercation, and police. According to the Department, “The preliminary investigation indicated that the actions of Officer Lucas were not objectionably reasonable.”

Police officers have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later; to perceive threat as inherent to Black flesh, and react with lethal force. Like Officer Darren Wilson, who murdered teenager Michael Brown in 2016, perhaps Officer Lucas mistook a Black man for a “demon” with “superhuman strength”. Speculation on whether individual cops view Black people as monstrosities aside, the issue of police violence is larger than the question of what is or is not “objectionably reasonable”. White supremacy is not an objective or reasonable system. And it cannot be expected to produce justice for the very people it has murdered.

There is no justice to be found through a judicial process that refuses to even entertain the possibility of murder charges after a Black woman is murdered in her own home by police. And even on the rare occasions when officers are charged with murder, as Derek Chauvin was, their incarceration does not prevent other officers from committing murder. 

The “Justice” system cannot be trusted to hold itself accountable. The clearest path to justice for Jonathan Price and other Black people who have been killed by police is completely ending police violence. This means defunding, dismantling, and abolishing the police themselves and the accompanying system of capitalism.

Join us for Left Voice Journalism School. Sign up here

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