Civil rights attorney Ben Crump demands that the Kroger security guard who fatally shot a Black man over the weekend be held accountable.
Alvin Motley was shot and killed by a security guard at an East Memphis Kroger fuel station Saturday after a dispute over loud music. A day after the shooting, the shooter, Gregory Livingston was charged with second degree murder.
Crump, who has been retained to represent the Motley family, said at a press conference Tuesday the death of Motley was preventable. Playing music should not be something that’s fatal, Crump said.
“Another unarmed Black person was killed because he was profiled, because of the color of his skin,” Crump said. “How many more times will we have to face these tragedies — these senseless unjustifiable tragedies that leave our children in the morgue and families with holes in their hearts?”
Crump also added it is Kroger’s responsibility to hire security guards who respect Black customers.
Crump called for people all over America to go to Kroger and play music for Motley to let Kroger know “our music should not prove fatalities for our children.”
President of the Memphis NAACP chapter Van Turner was also at Tuesday’s press conference. Turner called the shooting a “cold-blooded murder.”
He invited those in attendance to “say his name.”
“Let’s make sure that name means something in this community,” Turner said. “We have to let this family know that we aren’t going to forget Alvin Motley. His murder will not be in vain.”
Turner said Livingston and Kroger need to be held accountable.
“We’re here today to resurrect justice,” Turner said. “We’re here to resurrect justice for this family and for Black people who have been dying in this country since we stepped foot on these shores unjustly.”
Senator Katrina Robinson, also present, said Motley’s death was a result of systemic racism.
“Black people, we have to stop meeting like this,” Robinson said. “One may look at this incident and think that it’s isolated. Nothing about this is isolated. This is a result of systemic racism bleeding all the way down from a Kroger security guard.”
Kroger released a statement on Motley’s death Tuesday.
“We are deeply saddened, extremely angry and horrified by this senseless violence,” the statement reads. “Our hearts are with the Motley family. This tragic incident involved a third-party contractor onsite to provide security services at our Poplar Avenue Fuel Center. We ask all third-party contractors to respect and honor our core values which include respect, diversity, and inclusion. We want to thank the Memphis Police Department for their swift action. The only outcome we seek is justice.”
