SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — Two hundred people joined a rally here April 18 to commemorate the life of Steven Taylor one year after he was killed by San Leandro police. He was shot inside the Walmart store on Hesperian Boulevard here. The event was organized by Social Justice Academy of the San Leandro High School. Many of those who came were students from the area. Some workers from the Walmart also took part.
Taylor was killed by cop Jason Fletcher while Taylor was having a mental illness crisis in the store. The shooting was captured on a police video, which has been widely viewed. It shows Taylor, holding a baseball bat, backing away as Fletcher shoots him. In September 2020 the Alameda County district attorney charged Fletcher with felony voluntary manslaughter. Stefan Overton, another cop who was there, has not been disciplined or indicted.
Speakers included students, area politicians and members of the families of Sean Monterrossa, Oscar Grant and Miles Hall, all of whom had been killed by cops in the Bay Area. Addie Kitchen, Taylor’s grandmother, thanked everyone for coming.
Fletcher’s trial date hasn’t been set.