The family of a gay black man who was murdered in Louisiana last week is demanding justice, after they learned about the his death from neighbors who saw news reports.
McKinsley LaKeith Lincoln, 29, was found shot to death in Alexandria, and authorities are now looking into the possibility that his murder was a hate crime.
Gay City News reports: McKinsley LaKeith Lincoln's family filed a missing persons report on the morning of May 15 after he had been gone for more than 24 hours from his home in Alexandria, Louisiana, a small city roughly 120 miles northwest of Baton Rouge. Hours after the report was filed, cops found Lincoln dead with a gunshot wound at the intersection of Louisiana and Day Street in Alexandria, but the family was not immediately informed. Instead, they said they found out about Lincoln's death through neighbors who saw news reports about the case. Ever since, the family says they have received little communication from police, forcing them to seek out details on their own. Now the family is turning to the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) in an effort to ensure that Lincoln's death is handled appropriately by police officers. “The police have a responsibility to ensure justice for the people of this parish,” Pamela Lincoln, McKinsey's mother, said in a written statement through the NBJC. “They have not done enough to fulfill their oath. They haven't protected and served us.” Pamela Lincoln added that her “openly gay” child was “the target of harassment and discrimination,” fueling additional questions about who could have been responsible for her child's death and why.
More from the National Black Justice Coalition: NBJC contacted civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Jasmine Rand and Louisiana State Representative and attorney Edward C. “Ted” James to raise awareness, ask questions, and ensure that there is a full and complete investigation into the murder of McKinsley Lincoln. Within 24 hours Alexandria Mayor Jeffrey W. Hall confirmed the Alexandria Police Department has agreed to act diligently to investigate surrounding facts and circumstances and is investigating the murder of McKinsley Lincoln as a hate crime. Members of traditional civil rights and progressive LGBTQ+ equality communities are actively monitoring the progress of the investigation to ensure that it is complete, fair, and impartial.
David Johns, executive director of the NBJC, said in a statement: “This tragic incident should be a reminder that hate crimes against Black LGBTQ and same gender loving people happen too frequently—often without the national public outcry that our heterosexual brothers and sisters receive. In 2018 alone, over 1,500 hate crimes based on bias against someone's sexual orientation or gender identity were reported. And the violence is escalating. There was more than a 18 percent increase in these hate crimes from 2016 to 2018 and the FBI reports an 11 percent increase in anti-Black hate crimes during the same period. We should all be clear about the fact that hate crimes against people of every racial and ethnic category increased across the board after the 2016 election. Trump has escalated the violence with racist rhetoric and destructive policies designed to divide and keep some of us locked out of access to opportunity. The clearest consequences of these deleterious actions are evident in these examples of vitriol, violence, and death. The National Black Justice Coalition stands with the family of McKinsley LaKeith Lincoln in calling upon Jeffrey W. Hall (318-449-5000) and the Alexandria Police Department (318-449-5099) to conduct a complete and full investigation into the murder of McKinsley Lakeith Lincoln. Not one member of our beautifully diverse community should experience violence, discrimination, or be murdered as a result of who we are or how we show up in the world. Each of us has a role to play in ensuring that we create a strong and inclusive community.”
