Khalil Azad was a young Black man who was found dead July 5, 2022. When his death was first announced publicly, it was ruled as an accidental drowning but images of the body show a different story. 

On Feb. 25, BLM MN held a press conference with the family of Khalil Azad. They spoke about the information they knew about the night of his death and how the autopsy report looks different then the body they laid to rest. The family believes that Khalil was beaten by Robbinsdale Police and bitten by their K-9 units. Khalil was found in two feet of shallow water and he was able to swim which led many to believe that the statements of him drowning are false.

On March 6, MN Teen Activists held a statewide walkout for Khalil. Their goal was to gain more information on his death and for justice to be served. Students across the state joined them in their fight for Khalil. Two days later, the Robbinsdale Police Department released five hours of body cam footage. On March 3, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed the beginning of their investigation on the case. All of the officers involved eventually turned off their body camera. 

Police brutality isn’t anything new in Minnesota and it isn’t shocking news to people of color. A disappointing but not surprising fact is that after the 2020 BLM movements, nothing has changed. Not in Minnesota and certainly not in the rest of the country. 

I am sick and tired of having the same conversations at home when it comes to the police. “Remember to always make sure they can see your hands,” “Never fight back,” “Always remember that you are a Black kid in America.” I shouldn’t fear those who are sworn to protect me, but I doubt that it’ll change.

Many believe that the main issue with police brutality is the lack of officers of color but we’ve seen with Tyre Nichols that the lack of officers of color isn’t the case. The only way to change an already corrupt system is by creating a new one. You can’t fix the police system that has always picked who they looked out for.