People march holding signs.
Protestors hold signs and walk up Edmondson Avenue. Credit: Myles Michelin.

Friends, family members, and supporters gathered at Empowerment Academy on Braddish Avenue on October 11 to demand accountability for the death of Dontae Melton Jr. in police custody. Melton was one of three Black Baltimore residents — all of whom appeared to be experiencing a behavioral health crisis — to be killed during interactions with police in the span of eight days. 

A group of people hold hands and bow their heads.
Community members hold hands during a prayer circle. Credit: Myles Michelin.

Eleshiea Goode, Melton’s mother, stood as a beacon of strength as the crowd of protesters circled around her. The police and the city failed her son, she said, not only in the moments leading up to his death on June 25 but in the 48 hours before, when she begged the court to issue an emergency petition because she, as a licensed clinician, believed his mental health challenges had reached a new point.

“Dontae, I love you, and I’m sorry this happened to you, but I want to keep fighting. I’m going to die on this hill,” said Goode. She pleaded for relief from her pain as protestors vowed to have her back. 

By 4:15 p.m., the diverse crowd swelled to more than 50 strong. Goode was joined by Rev. Dr. Greta Willis and Darlene Cain, two Baltimore mothers who lost their sons, Kevin L. Cooper and Dale Graham, respectively, to police violence. Willis “took the crowd to church,” as Cain put it, before the march began. 

A Black woman holds a microphone. She is wearing a black sweatshirt with Dontae Melton's photo on it and she holds a megaphone.
Eleshiea Goode, Dontae Melton’s mother, prepares to speak. Credit: Myles Michelin. Photo credit: Myles Michelin.

At one point, protesters climbed a steep incline, elders pressing forward with visible determination. The next turn led them downhill and the pack moved together in a rhythm of resistance. 

The crowd made their way to the 7/11 on West Franklin Street, near where Melton was restrained by police. Led largely by community organizer Tawanda Jones, sister of Tyrone West, protesters filled the street chanting “No justice, no peace, no racist police” and “Cell blocks for killer cops.” 

It was Goode’s first time standing at the site of her son’s suffering — she had been too emotional to step out of her car the other time she visited the area. 

“To know my son was struggling on this corner and everybody was just looking at him it seems, it hurts,” she said. She credited God and other mothers who lost their children to police violence for giving her the strength to return. 

“I’m getting through, but the healing is just beginning,” Goode said. “I don’t think the homicide ruling would’ve happened without those who fought before me.”

Hands can be seen holding a large white poster. Blue text reads "forever Tae. We love you." The poster has signatures around it and at the center is a photo of Dontae Melton.
A family member holds up a poster of Dontae Melton that reads “Forever Tae.” Credit: Myles Michelin
Marchers. One holds a cardboard sign that reads "justice for Dontae Melton."
A protester holds a sign that reads “Justice For Dontae Melton.” Credit: Myles Michelin
A Black woman stands in her doorway and looks out at protesters.
A neighbor looks out her front door as protestors go by. Credit: Myles Michelin.
The back of a person's head, along with a sign they are holding that reads "justice for all victims of police violence #justicefordontaemelton."
Photo credit: Myles Michelin.
A Black man speaks into a megaphone.
Carrington Scott of People’s Power Assembly.
Various people protest, holding signs and marching.
Activist Tawanda Jones leads the protest for Dontae Melton. Credit: Myles Michelin.

Kori Skillman was a Report for America Corps Member covering justice and accountability for the Baltimore Beat. She investigated policing, incarceration and civil rights in Baltimore. Kori most recently...