On July 18, 2013, two plain-clothes officers in an unmarked car pulled a 44-year-old black man, Tyrone West, over in a residential neighborhood in East Baltimore for an alleged minor traffic infraction. Witness statements indicated that he was pulled out of his car and attacked by the police. What ensued was the brutal murder, by beating and suffocation, of Tyrone by 17 Baltimore City police officers and one Morgan State University officer.

After the untimely demise of her brother, Tyrone, Tawanda Jones created West Wednesday. She and her supporters have protested and lobbied for nine years—over 480 consecutive weeks—to change laws. A God-fearing woman, mother, teacher and freedom fighter, Tawanda has been featured on CNN, MSNBC and PBS, in the podcast “Issue” and HBO’s “Baltimore Rising,” in “Baltimore” Magazine, the Baltimore “Afro-American,” the New York “Times” and the Real News Network, and in Wes Moore’s book, “Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City.”

Tawanda testified for the report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racist Police Violence Against People of African Descent in the United States, and to the United Nations. She was a part of pushing for the 2020 elimination of gag orders for those involved in Baltimore City police settlements. Tawanda has been around the world standing in solidarity with many families that are suffering from police brutality and murder. “Can't stop, won't stop until killer cops are in cell blocks!”
http://westcoalition.com

West Wednesday #483 will take place in person at Red Emma’s, and will be streamed over Facebook (Justice for Tyrone West) and YouTube (West Wednesday). In addition to hearing from Tawanda, there will be interviews with family members of police victims, poetry by Analysis, the weekly roll call of those murdered, and calls to action!