Judge blocks public release of Alvin Motley Jr. shooting death video

These judges are something else…

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Back in August, BOSSIP reported on the shooting death of Alvin Motley Jr., an unarmed, blind, Black man who was gunned down by a “security guard” at a Kroger Fuel Center in Memphis, Tennessee for playing loud music. We put “security guard” in quotes because upon further investigation it was found that the gunman, Gregory Livingston, was never properly licensed to be an armed guard in the state of Tennessee. Motley’s family made public statements that not only was he not carrying any weapons, but he was also blind. However, none of that stopped Livingston from killing him in cold blood, he now faces second-degree murder charges.

Recently, according to WREG, a Shelby County judge has chose to protect Livingston by legally blocking the public release of the security video that shows the confrontation. Judge Louis Montesi ruled that releasing the footage would infringe on the “alleged” killer’s right to a “fair and impartial” trial. As if that’s something the court is concerned with when Black folks are painted as degenerates, criminals, and weed smokers on a routine basis when we are killed but we digress…

The injunction is said to last “at least” until Livingston’s preliminary hearing on September 28 but we wouldn’t be surprised if the judge maintains the order even after that date. President of the NAACP Memphis chapter, Van Turner, had this to say about Judge Montesi’s decision:

“Given that the family and prosecution have both asked that the video be released, I think it’s the correct thing to do and I don’t think this would prejudice the defendant receiving a fair trial at all,” Turner said.

Attorney Ben Crump also released a public statement on behalf of the family:

“The Motley family and our legal team are disheartened by the court’s ruling today to continue to block the public release of the video footage from the day Alvin Motley was brutally killed. The court’s decision further delays the clarity, transparency, and answers that the family and community deserve. Decisions like this one do nothing to improve the public’s confidence in equal justice and due process as it relates to African Americans. We have never seen a video of a Black man killing a white man be blocked from public release out of concern for a fair and impartial jury for the defendant like we see here. The pursuit of justice for Alvin is far from over.”

Our eyes will be trained intently on how this case proceeds going forward.