Though #BlackLivesMatter activists were originally spurred to protest by the high-profile deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner last year, 2015 has been no less dangerous for African-Americans.
In the past few days alone, police killed a man who allegedly broke a condition of his parole but wasn’t carrying a weapon and fatally shot an unarmed 19-year-old.
Now reports of yet another heartbreaking officer-involved homicide have emerged: 27-year-old Anthony Hill, an Air Force veteran who served in the Middle East and may have suffered from bipolar disorder, was gunned down in an Atlanta-area apartment complex by a Dekalb County cop. Hill was naked and erratic, video evidence shows—crawling on the ground and swinging from balconies—prompting concerned residents to call 911.
#AnthonyHill the unarmed black man killed by the Atlanta police on March 9,2015 was also a US Air Force veteran! http://t.co/WWk2bLQpIB
— FrankClark (@menes676) March 10, 2015
That Hill was unarmed and in obvious distress has once again galvanized the tireless critics of an American police state disturbingly eager to use lethal force against black suspects. In addition to the enduring #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, they’re hammering a new one: #Antlanta.
@NeilSardana "it is shameful that when citizens in DeKalb need help, they're shot in the heart twice." #Antlanta pic.twitter.com/qVc6arjm42
— Fergie Chambers 🇵🇸🇷🇺🇹🇳 (@jccfergie) March 10, 2015
If a cop doesn't know how to restrain someone without a gun and DEATH, then that cop should be out of the job. RIP #AnthonyHill #Antlanta
— Leslie Way (@lesliejoway) March 10, 2015
https://twitter.com/AnonyPress/status/575147208426790912
naked. in broad daylight. anyone unclear black ppl are automatically guilty for existing by now, i don't know what to tell you #Antlanta
— Head DEI In Charge (@seelolago) March 10, 2015
https://twitter.com/Beffamphetamine/status/575144719765864448
New song dedicated to #TonyRobinson and #AnthonyHill #dropthecharges #MOA11 #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/lCrCtEhhjw
— Mike Spangenberg (@MikeSpangenberg) March 10, 2015
As nurses we take down mentally ill men 2x our size every day.We're Constantly n physical danger.Never have I had to shoot one. #AnthonyHill
— 4EveryChildCheering 🇺🇸🇺🇦#LandBack USA (@annfinster) March 10, 2015
Mourners read through Hill’s revealing Twitter and Facebook feeds, while his girlfriend Bridget asked for support, shared her grief, and turned away requests for comment from the media.
I am thankful to be something other than normal.
— Lanta (@AntHeezie) March 5, 2015
I don't fight my circumstance,
I embrace it.
I love myself.
Always#IAmBipolar
I think this twitter account will be dead by the beginning of the week. Take me to the moon and I still won't have enough space.
— Lanta (@AntHeezie) March 6, 2015
Psychiatrists along with pharmaceutical companies are creating a class of subhumans. The real walking dead. I've seen the big picture.
— Lanta (@AntHeezie) March 6, 2015
The black community needs to work harder to make sure WE know that #blacklivesmatter. Our actions will either support or diminish our words.
— Lanta (@AntHeezie) March 6, 2015
Never say never
— Lanta (@AntHeezie) March 9, 2015
https://twitter.com/bridgie_xoxo/status/575067537991409665
https://twitter.com/bridgie_xoxo/status/575083769650110464
https://twitter.com/bridgie_xoxo/status/575083923950145536
https://twitter.com/bridgie_xoxo/status/575084530974998528
https://twitter.com/bridgie_xoxo/status/575085368963383296
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will lead a probe into the shooting.
Photo via Anthony Hill/Facebook