Friday, March 17 marked six years since Desmond Phillips' death. He was killed by law enforcement in Chico during a mental health crisis. The group Justice 4 Desmond Phillips has been pushing for change in Butte County since that day. Rain Scher is a member of the group.
NSPR’s Angel Huracha spoke with Scher about the group’s ongoing justice work and how the community – and Desmond’s father David Phillips – is remembering Desmond.
On Rain Scher’s hopes six years after Desmond Phillips’ death
My hope is that more people will get behind directly supporting the Phillips family and following their lead. It's really important that we have a lot of people working on a lot of different angles and issues that are interconnected. And it's equally as important that in those efforts, the needs of the families that have been most impacted, like the Phillips family, are at the center.
On reflecting on Phillips’ death during the week of the anniversary of his passing
I asked David what he felt about it, and he said that it has not gotten any easier to deal with. After six years, the anniversary of Desmond's death is just as painful as it has been the whole time. And there's still some community support, but it has definitely become less over the years. The support that has shown up is greatly appreciated. And David remains resolute and unwavering in his determination to see justice for Desmond and to see broader-reaching change.
On what stands out in terms of social change six years later
One of the biggest and most important impacts has been fostering social and cultural conversation about what happened to Desmond and about how he is just one example in the bigger picture of police violence, racism, and discrimination against people struggling with mental health. Before Desmond was killed, our community barely ever looked at or talked about these major issues. David Phillips has gotten people to pay more attention and question the city council, the district attorney and the police, about issues that should have been addressed long before Desmond and we're still fighting to get real change.
On the group’s plans for the future
I am in it for the long haul and the Phillips family is in it for the long haul. We don't share everything we're working on publicly, but we're always working on something. And we want to continue to encourage others to speak up and to reach out to us. We want to build a network of people who have been harmed by Butte County law enforcement. And we particularly want to expose District Attorney Mike Ramsey, who has enabled police violence unchecked for over 30 years. His legal protection at the county level, coupled with the doctrine of qualified immunity has fostered a climate of zero consequences for police violence.
Editor’s note:
NSPR news reached out to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, who was directly named in the interview, for his comment.
In an emailed response, Ramsey wrote in part, “To bring criminal charges against either a civilian or an officer (my sole job) it must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that there is no reasonable claim of self-defense before there can be a conviction.”
He also added, “I did charge and convict a Paradise officer for manslaughter on a fatal shooting before the Phillip’s incident and have been asked to teach other prosecutor’s offices how to pursue such charges when the facts do show an illegal action on the part of the officer.”
Ramsey also provided NSPR a link to his office’s investigation on the shooting and said no additional evidence had come to light to change this finding.
Reporting by the NSPR news team on the investigation into Phillip’s death and other related topics can be read below.
