Hey guys, I haven’t seen much info about what’s happening here in Omaha so I wanted to share this GoFundMe dedicated to the young man who was killed during the protests here last night.
James Scurlock was killed last night by Jake Gardner, owner of The Hive in Omaha ( who is already well known in the community for being vocal about his racist, homophobic views + practices) that brought it upon himself to come to the protest last night and start waving his gun at people, threatening them and being racist. When protesters tried to disarm him, he shot and killed James. This is all caught on video. Despite that Jake has ALREADY been released from custody.
Don’t let James be forgotten. Donate to help his family if you can, spread the word. Say his name.
The property owners said neither The Hive nor the Gatsby would be allowed to open again in the space in the building near 12th and Harney Streets.
Gardner has been evicted from his property.
The owners of the downtown Omaha property in which The Hive bar operated said Tuesday that they have evicted the tavern operator, Jake Gardner. Contacted by The World-Herald, the property owners, who said they have been the target of threats, said neither The Hive nor the Gatsby would be allowed to open again in the space in the building near 12th and Harney Streets.
The building's owners said Gardner had not complied with terms of the lease. They said that he was late on payments and that there were “other issues.” They declined to provide further details.
James Scurlock is a hero. He tackled an armed man who was firing shots ("warning shots") in proximity to a crowd in chaos, after shouting racial slurs, and then the armed man SHOT HIM and KILLED HIM.
And the Douglas County Attorney will NOT PROSECUTE. THEY STATE THE ARMED MAN WAS ACTING IN FEAR OF HIS LIFE.
I will also add: There is no Stand Your Ground law in Nebraska. There is no Castle Law. The statute is VERY clear. At minimum this should have resulted in a manslaughter charge.
Furthermore, Gardner's concealed carry permit was recently expired. He was NOT a licensed gun owner at the time of the incident. In addition, it is illegal to open carry in Omaha.
So in conclusion: Good luck Omaha. Maybe now was not the time to assume good faith of someone who was illegally carrying a weapon and violating state laws.
A grand jury in Omaha, Nebraska, indicted Jake Gardner on Tuesday over the death of James Scurlock, a 22-year-old Black man.
Amber Jamieson at BuzzFeed News (09.16.2020):
After months of protests calling for charges, a Nebraska grand jury has indicted the white bar owner who shot and killed James Scurlock, a 22-year-old Black man, during a Black Lives Matter protest in Omaha, Nebraska, in June.
The grand jury determined on Tuesday that Jake Gardner, 38, will face four charges including manslaughter, attempted first-degree assault, use of a firearm, and terror threats.
Announcing the charges, special prosecutor Frederick Franklin said much of the new evidence that allowed for charges to be laid came from Gardner himself, including Facebook posts and text messages.
"There was evidence that was gathered and presented to the grand jury about activity that Jake Gardner was engaged in prior to even coming in contact with James Scurlock," said Franklin.
"Evidence to reasonably be construed as an intent to use a firearm for purposes of killing someone," he continued. "You will want to know what it is, and I can't tell you about it. But what I can tell you is that that evidence comes primarily from Jake Gardner himself."
Gardner killed Scurlock on the night of May 30, the first weekend of Black Lives Matter protests around the country after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis.
On that night, Gardner stood armed outside one of his businesses in the Old Market neighborhood. After an altercation with two men, Gardner began shooting — he later told authorities they were “warning shots” — and Scurlock, who was not part of the original altercation, jumped on his back to stop him.
Gardner shot and killed him. Multiple associates have since come forward to say Gardner was known for making racist comments.
Less than two days later, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine declined to charge Gardner, announcing that his actions were in “self-defense.” After public outcry and protest, Kleine announced on June 3 that he would petition for a grand jury.
"Justice for James" protesters in Omaha have been calling for Kleine to lay charges against Gardner for months, including a daily protest outside his gated community for 36 straight days to symbolize the 36 hours it took the Douglas County attorney to decide not to press charges.
It's only a matter of time before white supremacists use the protests as a shooting range. The death of the black protester James Scurlock may unfortunately be a glimpse of things to come.
Today, Jake Gardner, the man who murdered James Scurlock ON CAMERA walked free with no charges against him.
I watched the video. You can clearly see James Scurlock being murdered.
James Scurlock’s killer is out with no charges. No charges despite video evidence of him killing an unarmed black man in the street.
There was a press conference today in which Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine repeatedly made excuses, mispronounced James Scurlock’s last name even after being corrected, insinuated James was dangerous, that he was looting and destroying property, and that his death was his fault. He repeatedly showed a bias towards the murderer.
They have currently closed off downtown Omaha, and wveyone is trying to regroup. I will continue to update when I can.
