Lawyer takes cases to public
Stephon Clark family’s attorney called a ‘voice for the voiceless’
It’s familiar ground for attorney Benjamin Crump — addressing reporters alongside grieving relatives of unarmed black men killed by police.
With each death, the Tallahassee, Fla., attorney has helped lead community demands against a legal system that some believe is blind and deaf to blacks seeking justice.
With Crump leading the way, Trayvon Martin’s parents settled a wrongful death lawsuit against a homeowners association in Florida, where Martin was killed by a white neighborhood watch captain. The lawyer also helped Michael Brown’s family reach a financial settlement with the city of Ferguson, Mo., after Brown was slain by a white police officer.
Now he is in Sacramento with the family of 22-year-old Stephon Clark, who was shot eight times by police in the backyard of his grandparents’ home.
“No family should have to endure this pain and suffering as they try to seek answers for an execution of their loved one who was only holding a cellphone,” Crump, flanked by members of Clark’s family, said at a news conference. Mostly peaceful protests have followed the shooting.
Crump was not available for an interview with The Associated Press but said during the Monday news conference that Clark’s death “is reminiscent of so many police shootings of unarmed black and brown people.”
“We will fight for Stephon until we get justice for Stephon,” he said.
Crump has become a “voice for the voiceless,” according to Sean Walton, a Columbus, Ohio-based attorney who also represents families in lawsuits involving police.
“Ben Crump has been a pioneer for his ability to generate attention to matters that normally get swept under the rug,” Walton said. “We’re actually doing what we can to convince local prosecutors to bring charges against police officers.”
Crump is best known for representing the families of Martin and Brown.
Some attorneys who take high-profile cases walk a line between representing clients and adhering to ethics, said Michael Downey of the Downey Law Group in St. Louis, Mo.
Most states have rules to ensure lawyers don’t do things outside the courtroom that harms the process inside court, said Downey who teaches courses on legal ethics.