August 23, 2024
Stop AAPI Hate is heartbroken and sickened by the police killing of 16-year-old American Samoan Easter Leafa last week in Anchorage, Alaska. Her life was unjustly cut short by police just as she was set to start her junior year of high school.
We send our heartfelt condolences to her loved ones, who are still reeling from the death of their sister, daughter, and friend. We also share their sense of outrage — that she lost her life in a horrific, needless act of police violence just months after moving to Alaska from American Samoa in search of a better life.
Police were called to the home on August 13 during an argument between Easter and her older sister. By the time they arrived, Easter was alone on the back porch with the screen door closed. Her family said she did not pose an immediate threat but officers nevertheless approached aggressively with their guns drawn, making no effort to assess the situation.
Easter’s family believed they could convince her to drop a knife she was holding while sitting down. They were also concerned about police approaching Easter because she had recently immigrated to the U.S. and her English was not strong. But police ignored their pleas to allow the family to de-escalate the situation and instead opened the porch door, approached her at close range, and shot her multiple times.
What happened to Easter Leafa was a failure by law enforcement to de-escalate a situation that did not need to end so violently. It’s also part of a disturbing pattern. The latest data shows that Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders face the highest rate of police violence.
However, systemic failures in policing harm not just Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders but also communities of all backgrounds..Just weeks before officers in Anchorage killed Easter Leafa, officers in Fort Lee, New Jersey killed Korean American Victoria Lee while she was in a mental health crisis. In both cases, police forced their way towards the victims even though their families tried to stop the officers. And in both cases, police did not prioritize de-escalation and non-lethal tools.
And we cannot forget all the other people who police have killed unjustly this year, including Yong Yang of Los Angeles, CA; Sonya Massey of Springfield, IL; Win Rozario of Queens, NY; Roger Fortson of Okaloosa County, FL; and too many more.
As we mourn Easter, we are joining local Samoan communities in calling for a full investigation into her killing — including the release of unedited body camera footage and additional investments in in-language and culturally-responsive approaches to community safety. To get involved, you can sign this national petition demanding justice for Easter Leafa: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-easter-leafa
