Yves Sakila was a 35-year-old man with his whole life in front of him. He had moved from the Democratic Republic of Congo to live with
family in Ireland when he was just 13 years old; his mother hoped that it would provide him a more stable, successful life.
Yves' family and classmates described him as "respectful" and "down-to-earth." He worked in the tech industry before a recent struggle with homelessness.
He should have been given the chance to live the rest of his life, getting back on his feet and spending his precious time with family and loved ones.
Instead, on Friday, May 15, Yves Sakila was accused of shoplifting, chased down by security personnel and bystanders, and
murdered in broad daylight.Sign the petition for a full investigation into the killing of Yves Sakila! We must demand justice!On that Friday afternoon, it is alleged that Yves took a bottle of perfume from Arnotts (a large department store in Dublin, Ireland) without paying. Security personnel then chased Yves down and detained him face down on the pavement.
The footage of the incident is
incredibly distressing. At least
five grown men are on top of Yves as he screams out in pain. He is completely unable to move, and yet
one of the men can be seen using his entire bodyweight to slam his knee into Yves' neck. They continued like this, crushing Yves into the pavement for at least five horrific minutes. By the time police arrived on the scene,
Yves was completely unresponsive. He was transported to a hospital where he was then pronounced dead.
Let us be perfectly clear: what Yves was doing before he was killed
does not matter. Last time we checked,
shoplifting (which is still just an allegation at this point) does not come with a literal death sentence. These security personnel had no right to use this amount of force on Yves, period.
No one carries the authority of judge, jury, and executioner -- that is the mark of a cruel, unjust society.Yves Sakila is the most recent in a long line of Black men who have been systematically killed by the systems around them.
Another horrific of excessive, unlawful force being used against a Black man. He is being most aptly compared to George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer kneeling on his neck in 2020, which fueled the Black Lives Matter Movement.
The murder of Yves Sakila was undoubtedly
racially motivated. This was a completely unnecessary,
awful event that must be treated as the hate crime it certainly is. Ireland must not stand by while Black and immigrant lives are treated so horrifically. Irish police must do everything in their power to bring Yves' killers to justice -- it is the least he and his family deserve.
Sign the petition and demand an investigation into the murder of Yves Sakila!