Apparently, he fit the description of a suspect they were chasing: he had dreadlocks. Shackelia Jackson lost her brother when police shot him dead.
Since that moment, Shackelia has been demanding justice, and has become a leader in the battle against police killings in Jamaica. She features in this year’s Write for Rights, Amnesty’s global letter-writing campaign and the world’s biggest human rights event. In a recent letter, she tells us what difference Amnesty has made to her quest for justice.
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All,
Crafting the perfect response took longer than I anticipated and so I resigned myself to writing from the heart.
I spent the last three years speaking as a broken sister; ensuring that others wouldn’t forget. I later saw the evolution of that role; the doors it opened for others; but also the threats it posed for me.
The death of my brother Nakiea Jackson and my subsequent actions, made me synonymous with a struggle that was bigger than Nakiea; one in which, stopping became difficult.
