Remembering Malcolm

On May 17, 2012, a 15-year-old boy named Malcolm Gracia was shot and killed by police in the West End of New Bedford, Massachusetts. According to the District Attorney's report (2012), the gang unit was at the New Bedford Police Department where their Supervisor observed Malcolm giving what "appeared to be a gang handshake" (p. 8). This exchange, captured from a desktop computer by a live video surveillance camera, prompted four detectives to ride in unmarked cars to perform what they called a "meet and greet" (p. 1). Within one hour of this encounter Malcolm was pronounced dead. The details of what occurred following initial contact have been scripted by institutional authorities and local media sources (Ballou, 2012; Bristol County District Attorney's Office [BCDA], 2012). The investigation conducted by the District Attorney's Office determined that the homicide was "justified under the circumstances" (BCDA, 2012 p. 14). This research study intends to augment the accounts of this tragic event through a contextual and historical inquiry of oral testimonies centered on the shooting. These testimonies, combined with other knowledge sources, demonstrate how the dominant narrative was a false representation of the facts and that Malcolm was the victim of an illegal, unjustifiable homicide. These testimonies also shed light on cultures of control in the local context and provide insight into the relationship between collective memory, healing, and resistance - what I call a form of critical and culturally sustaining public pedagogy.