Anton Black’s Life Mattered: NAACP and Talbot Rising Host Forum May 23

Why did Anton Black die? How can similar deaths be prevented?

Anton Black, an African-American teenager from nearby Greensboro in Caroline County, was 19 when he died in police custody on Sept. 15, 2018. An aspiring model and soon-to be-father, Black was fleeing police when he was shot with a TASER and held down by police officers. An autopsy found that he suffered “sudden cardiac death” and that his struggle with police officers likely contributed to his demise.

The Coalition for Justice for Anton Black, the Talbot County branch of the NAACP and Talbot Rising, a nonpartisan progressive group, are hosting a discussion on May 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Talbot County Free Library in Easton on the life and death of Anton Black.

The forum will include:

• An update from the Coalition and Anton Black’s sister, LaToya Holley, about Anton and the family’s demands for justice and the status of ongoing investigations.  (For example, the Town of Greensboro met the Coalition’s demand to place Thomas Webster IV, the Greensboro officer involved in Black’s death, on paid administrative leave.  Webster was hired despite a history of complaints of assaults while an officer in Delaware.  The Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission has decided to hold a hearing to decide whether to revoke Webster’s police certification.)
• Excerpts from a body-camera video leading up to Black’s death
• A discussion on what protocols are in place to prevent similar incidents from occurring in Talbot County with St. Michaels Chief Anthony Smith, Sheriff Joe Gamble, and representatives from the Easton Police Department and the Maryland State Police.

When: 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 23, 2019
Where: Talbot County Free Library, 100 W. Dover St., Easton

For more information, contact: Richard Potter, Coalition for Justice for Anton Black, [email protected]; 202-750-0547 Denice Lombard, Talbot Rising [email protected]; 202-320-5588