Stephon Watts Matters

Attention All Concerned Citizens, It is not over! It is time to stand up, stand out, and stand...

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:21:46 -0500

Attention All Concerned Citizens,

It is not over! It is time to stand up, stand out, and stand firm! Meet Bishop Lance Davis and the Watts family for a praise party and prayer walk from the home of Stephon Watts to the Calumet City Police Department.

Stephon Watts was a 16 year old, autistic youth, who was gunned down by the Calumet City Police on Feb. 2, 2012.

Join us as we pray for our youth and praise God for victory

Where: The Watts Family Home

541 Forsythe Ave.

Calumet City, IL

When: Sat. Sept 22nd

3:00pm

NO MORE: WE DEMAND AN END TO POLICE VIOLENCE A RALLY TO CONFRONT POLICE VIOLENCE AND MURDER Daley...

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:34:42 -0500

NO MORE: WE DEMAND AN END TO POLICE VIOLENCE A RALLY TO CONFRONT POLICE VIOLENCE AND MURDER

Daley Plaza 50 W. Washington St 12pm Saturday, July 28, 2012

Police brutality has been a long-term fixture in the south and west sides of Chicago and Cook County as a whole. Almost every week, there is another name of an African-American whose life is cut short by the Chicago Police Department. In 2012, police have claimed the lives of Rekia Boyd, Stephon Watts and others. Howard Morgan, the victim of horrible police violence, has been denied justice for years.

If politicians are silent, it is up to the community to stand for justice and demand that the police be held accountable.

Join family members of police murder victims, Chicago police torture victims, and community members as we say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We will not stand for the daily abuse and racist harassment of our brothers and sisters at the hands of police.

Please Invite Your Friends on Facebook Facebook Link: http://www.facebook.com/events/245411462244517

ON TWITTER: @illinoisCENJC

Photo

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 09:57:38 -0500

So sad

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:35:45 -0500

It is tragic that Stephon lost his life, this has to be every parents nightmare.

Autism (including Aspergers Syndrome) is a SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS disorder. This means that people affected by autism do not understand social rules and that autocratic means of handling them DO NOT WORK.

They also struggle to COMMUNICATE what is bothering them.

Autism is an anxiety based disorder, so if you can understand the anxiety the person with autism feels you can try to address it. You can never do that with a gun.

If Spephon had an issue with going to school it would have been because he had a negative experience that created an anxiety for him. I have known autistic kids completely refused to go to a specific school and for it to take 7 months to get them to trust another school.

Autistic people are disabled, you would not punish a blind man from tripping over something he did not see.

When an autistic person is in a state of anxiety you cannot reason with them or force them to do anything, the best approach is to back off and give them time to process things, then approach them with a friendly person they trust who can then try to address the anxiety.

With autism being diagnosed in one in 88 children, the police need to be be training about autism and how to best deal with a person who has been affected by autism.

Mostly they should not apply force or pressure because it will only make things worse, better to bring in a mediator or support person and back off.

We see these kind of injustices the world over, I can only hope that some meaning can be put to the tragic death of Stephon, perhaps if it results in greater understanding and tolerance in our society.

Shared from CopBlock.org

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:22:20 -0500

Shared from CopBlock.org

"The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again. - George Santayana"

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:39:44 -0500

“The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again. - George Santayana”

Happy daddy day to my Uncle Wayne and daddy!

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 17:53:05 -0500

Happy daddy day to my Uncle Wayne and daddy!

Not a week goes by that I don't read a story similar to what happened to Stephon. One would think that after a while a person would become numb or perhaps calloused, but that hasn't seemed to happen. It is very distressing to see that despite more than a decade of autism awareness being pumped through the various media there are still so many people in positions of authority who have no clue. I am the father of an autistic son (non-verbal). I would like to know when his birthday was.

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:34:56 -0500

Thank you very much for your post. Stephon’s birthday was December 10th.

Brotha Fabion

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:51:02 -0500

Brotha Fabion

Debra Vines from The Answer with her Autistic son Andre.

Sat, 05 May 2012 09:55:36 -0500

Debra Vines from The Answer with her Autistic son Andre.

At the walkaton for The Answer

Sat, 05 May 2012 09:47:49 -0500

At the walkaton for The Answer

Autism Therapeutic School- Tinely Park Student Talent Show and...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:32:37 -0500

Autism Therapeutic School- Tinely Park

Student Talent Show and Ballon Launch

April 27th 2012 @ 10am

17300 Ozark Ave.

Tinely Park IL 60477

We will also celebrate Stephon’s love for computer with a ribbon cutting for our new Stephon Watts Computer and Language Lab.

Please, join us and bring others to be a part of this terrific celebration.

Martinez Sutton Brother of Rekia Boyd speaks 30 mins in. My...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:54:00 -0500

Martinez Sutton Brother of Rekia Boyd speaks 30 mins in. My father and uncle of Stephon Watts speaks 39 mins into the video

On the day that [George] Zimmerman was charged, there was an incredibly inspiring panel in Chicago called “Trayvon Martin and the Fight Against the New Jim Crow”. Cousin of Emmett Till, Simeon Wright, was there to link today’s instances of racism to the brutal murder of his cousin. Martinez Sutton and Stephen Watts, both who lost family members to police shootings, were there to share their tragic stories (you really MUST listen to these stories as there is a huge fight ahead of us for justice for Rekia Boyd and Stephon Watts), a member of the Free Howard Morgan Campaign was there to tell the grossly unjust story of a man who was shot 28 times by police and was recently convicted to 40 years in prison, members of Rainbow PUSH were there to talk about the charges against Zimmerman as a starting point, and activist Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor gave an incredible speech where she said, ‘George Zimmerman, who has finally been arrested, may have pulled the trigger. But 250 years of legal slavery, 100 years of legalized discrimination under the system called Jim Crow, and 40 years of institutionalized racism is what provided the gun and cocked it in the first place.’ We also had a statement from Dr. John Carlos, who raised the Black power fist at the 1968 Olympics:

‘I support tonight’s event with all my heart. Why? Because I support justice for Trayvon Martin with all my heart. Back in 1968 when Tommie Smith and I raised our fists on that medal platform at the Olympics, we knew that we would catch hell but we didn’t care. We didn’t care because we were doing it for our children and our children’s children. We did it because we wanted the coming generations to live and breathe in this country as full citizens with equal rights and be able to achieve their God-given potential. We were not fighting for a world where a young man with his whole life laid out in front of him would find himself dead on the ground for the crime of Living While Black. What happened to Trayvon, what happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and what happens in many other places and with many other cases we never hear anything about, is to me simply proof that the fight didn’t end in 1968. It’s still ongoing and it will continue to keep on going until all people of all colors are free to live without fear of violence from their oppressors. I am Trayvon Martin. Just like I am Troy Davis. Just like I am every last person who this society deems to be something less than human because of the way God made us. This country has been playing that game for way too long. It’s a game that won’t end with Trayvon Martin. But it can be beginning of the end, if we’re willing to fight and make it so.’

Join Bishop Lance Davis, Bishop Grant from Rainbow Push, and the...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:09:31 -0500

Join Bishop Lance Davis, Bishop Grant from Rainbow Push, and the Watts family as they strategize for JUSTICE FOR STEPHON WATTS!

Where: New Zion Christian Fellowship 14200 Chicago Road Dolton, IL 60419 When: Mon. April 23rd at 6:30pm –8:00pm

I had a brief moment to meet with Mrs. Watts on Easter, just to hug her and let her know I've been praying for your family. My mom used to mentor Stephon at the church (Redemption Way). I just wanted to let you know that I am passing your contact info to Dennis Debbaudt, of Autism Risk and Safety Management (which maybe you are already familiar with) in hopes that he can do something to help with this petition. I have also shared it on Twitter and Facebook.

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:13:17 -0500

Thank you very much. Please, continue to support us!

Strong and proud Uncle Wayne has he speaks about Stephon! He...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:36:00 -0500

Strong and proud Uncle Wayne has he speaks about Stephon! He received a standing ovation! I didn’t get a photo of this because I was in the bathroom crying. I couldn’t get my phone out in time to take the photo. Justiceforstephonwatts.com

Thank you channel 9 and Chicago Tribune for being the only news...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:53:10 -0500

Thank you channel 9 and Chicago Tribune for being the only news reporter’s left. I think the media has attention deficit disorder they can only stay for ten minutes and then report half the story.

Let the panel begin! This was the first time I was able to speak...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:22:00 -0500

Let the panel begin! This was the first time I was able to speak to Martinez Sutton the brother of Rekia Boyd. I hugged him as soon as I saw him! I have tried to desperately to connect someone else in my position. Everyone says they are sorry and they can have empathy of us, but Martinez truly lives it! I hope we are able to stay in touch!

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Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:02:04 -0500

At Grace Place Sanctuary 637 South Dearborn.

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:57:36 -0500

At Grace Place Sanctuary 637 South Dearborn.