National Black Justice Coalition Calls for Justice in the Murder of McKinsley LaKeith Lincoln
WASHINGTON, DC — On the morning of May 15, 2020, the family of McKinsley LaKeith Lincoln filed a missing person report after McKinsley had been missing from the family home for more than 24 hours. Within hours of filing the missing persons report the Alexandria Police Department discovered the body of a “deceased male with visible gunshot wound,” as reported by the local news. The Lincoln family learned that the body reported by the news may have been McKinsley through phone calls from neighbors. The Lincoln family has been forced to make sense of the murder of McKinsley Lincoln with little, proactive, communication with the Alexandria Police Department. The family of McKinsley Lincoln engaged the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) because they felt frustrated with the lack of communication with and from the Alexandria Police Department.
“McKinsley is an openly gay man and was the target of harassment and discrimation,” said Pamela Lincoln, McKinsley’s mother. “The police have a responsibility to ensure justice for the people of this parish. They have not done enough to fulfill their oath. They haven’t protected and served us.”
NBJC contacted civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Jasmine Rand and Louisiana State Representative and attorney Edward C. “Ted” James to raise awareness, ask questions, and ensure that there is a full and complete investigation into the murder of McKinsley Lincoln. Within 24 hours Alexandria Mayor Jeffrey W. Hall confirmed the Alexandria Police Department has agreed to act diligently to investigate surrounding facts and circumstances and is investigating the murder of McKinsley Lincoln as a hate crime. Members of traditional civil rights and progressive LGBTQ+ equality communities are actively monitoring the progress of the investigation to ensure that it is complete, fair, and impartial.
In response to the tragedy, David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), released the following statement:
“This tragic incident should be a reminder that hate crimes against Black LGBTQ and same gender loving people happen too frequently—often without the national public outcry that our heterosexual brothers and sisters receive. In 2018 alone, over 1,500 hate crimes based on bias against someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity were reported. And the violence is escalating. There was more than a 18 percent increase in these hate crimes from 2016 to 2018 and the FBI reports an 11 percent increase in anti-Black hate crimes during the same period.
“We should all be clear about the fact that hate crimes against people of every racial and ethnic category increased across the board after the 2016 election. Trump has escalated the violence with racist rhetoric and destructive policies designed to divide and keep some of us locked out of access to opportunity. The clearest consequences of these deleterious actions are evident in these examples of vitriol, violence, and death.
“The National Black Justice Coalition stands with the family of McKinsley LaKeith Lincoln in calling upon Jeffrey W. Hall (318-449-5000) and the Alexandria Police Department (318-449-5099) to conduct a complete and full investigation into the murder of McKinsley Lakeith Lincoln. Not one member of our beautifully diverse community should experience violence, discrimiantion, or be murdered as a result of who we are or how we show up in the world. Each of us has a role to play in ensuring that we create a strong and inclusive community.”