“I am done waiting; I am done being satisfied with symbolic gestures. The nation has been moved by protests demanding justice. That’s all I want for my son.”
– Kenithia Alston
Kenithia Alston is the loving mother of Marqueese Alston. She has spent the past seven years searching for the truth about Marqueese’s murder by the Metropolitan Police Department in June 2018.
Interviews
Articles
What it’s like when the cops kill your son by Kenithia Alston
“The truth is, like so many young men, black or white, rich or poor, Marqueese was just starting to make his way in the world. He had a young daughter, Lyric, whom he adored, a family that loved him, and a community that has seen far too many of its sons and daughters brutalized and killed by the police. To us, Marqueese’s life mattered; it still does.”
The Other Gun Violence by Kenithia Alston & Emanuel Powell
“Understanding shootings by police as one of the many permutations of gun violence in our country opens some doors into how to get to the root of the issue and stop killings by police — and thus spare other facilities the heartache we know so well.”
Testimonies
Nov. 29, 2023 – D.C. Council’s Judiciary & Public Safety Hearing
- At this hearing, Ms. Alston testified in-person against the Bill 25-0555 Addressing Crime Trends (ACT) Now Amendment Act of 2023 and the importance of “effective policing.”
- She opposed the bill because of its provisions regarding what information may be released to the public about police officers’ discipline and whether officers could, in certain instances, review their body-worn camera footage before writing their initial report.
Mar. 11, 2021 – D.C. Council’s Performance Oversight Hearing: Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety
- At this hearing, Ms. Alston testified remotely via Zoom about the Metropolitan Police Department’s refusal to release full unedited body camera footage of Marqueese’s murder.
- Additionally, Ms. Alston testified about how Mayor Bowser failed to provide her with an opportunity, as Marqueese’s next of kin, to consent to the release of an edited community briefing that presented an incomplete narrative surrounding Marqueese’s murder—an opportunity that MPD is required to provide by the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2020.