Banko Brown: Outrage grows after footage released in killing of Black trans activist

San Francisco, California - Surveillance footage has been released in the killing of Black trans community organizer Banko Brown by a security guard at a San Francisco Walgreens.

Protests erupted after the release of video footage of community organizer Banko Brown's killing at a Walgreens in San Francisco.
Protests erupted after the release of video footage of community organizer Banko Brown's killing at a Walgreens in San Francisco.  © Screenshot/Twitter/@honeymahogany

Brown was just 24-years-old when he was tackled, punched, and then fatally shot by a security guard named Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony at a Walgreens drug store in San Francisco on April 27.

The San Francisco district attorney’s office released the graphic surveillance footage, published by the San Francisco Chronicle, on Monday – even as the office announced the security guard would not face charges.

The video shows Brown attempting to exit the store when Anthony blocks him, begins to shove him, and appears to punch him in the head multiple times.

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Anthony then knocks Brown to the ground and holds him down as the latter tries to struggle for release.

Brown then gets up and walks toward the exit. He appears to turn around and say something to Anthony when the security guard pulls out his gun and fires the trigger, hitting Brown in the chest.

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San Franciscans march toward City Hall demanding justice for Banko Brown.
San Franciscans march toward City Hall demanding justice for Banko Brown.  © Screenshot/Twitter/@honeymahogany

Anthony was initially arrested after the killing, but he was subsequently released when San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins deemed the evidence "insufficient to support criminal charges."

The DA office's report, released Monday, also cites the shooter's claims that he was afraid Brown was going to "try to attack him" with a weapon.

Anthony went so far as to say that Brown threatened to "stab" him, but witnesses did not corroborate that statement. Banko was unarmed at the time of his killing.

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The community organizer, known for his work helping fellow Black trans youth, had been experiencing homelessness in the weeks leading up to his killing.

After claiming the security footage "clearly" showed Anthony had acted "in self-defense," Jenkins faced mounting pressure to publicize the video of the incident. Its release prompted San Franciscans once again to take to the streets to protest the killing and call for accountability for the security guard.

Brown's shooting comes amid outrage over the New York City subway killing of Jordan Neely, an unhoused 30-year-old, by white ex-Marine Daniel Penny just a few days later.

Cover photo: Screenshot/Twitter/@honeymahogany

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