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Not another one.

This is Tiffany Strickland from Voices of Vision podcast.

And I'm reporting here live tonight from Newport News,

Virginia, where authorities are on the scene of a,

a gruesome crime.

They've located a body, and details are sparse at this time.

Of course, we will update you once we have more information,

but it's certainly a solemn scene here tonight.

And my thoughts

and prayers go out to whomever is affected

by this horrific tragedy.

I can only think of one thing after seeing these over

and over, and the question is, how many more?

Good job. Good job. Reset. Reset, reset.

Elijah. Come on. The food is done.

Alright, mom.

Just finishing up in the shower.

Hope he keeps that drive up.

You mean famous basketball player, Elijah?

He's already got his future planned out.

Don't let him hear you say that

His head is already too big. What's going on?

Hey, looking good, son. As always, big game tonight?

Of Course we've been practicing real hard. It's going be intense.

You know we'll be there to support it

I appreciate that.

Come on baby sis.

Ooh, this food look good. There you go.

Thanks mom. You're welcome.

Woo.

Alright. What? Okay. I taught you better than that.

Okay, go ahead.

Father in heaven. Father in heaven,

thank you for this meal today.

Please bless me to have a good game

and bless my family to be there and support me.

In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Alright Lord.

Tell me how the chicken taste.

Hope You seasoned it. Tell me how the chicken taste.

I know that's right. Where'd you get this recipe from? I got it from the internet. What's wrong?

Should've stayed on the internet.

Uhuh. Jasmine, tell me how it is.

Mom, it's not bad,

but it can use a little more seasoning. I followed the recipe. Baby boy. How is it?

I think Dad's right.

What? Need a little bit more seasoning. Don't, listen.

Jasmine, taste that chicken. It's good, right?

Yeah, I think it's good.

She just trying to be nice. That's babygirl.

- It's good.

- You always cook good, baby.

We just joking with you

Ya'll don't like it?

It's not your best.

We'll throw it away then. We can order pizza.

We wanna order pizza, dad? Okay. Didn't eat the salad.

Just eat the salad. Eat the salad. Thank you. Thank you.

I don't want to hear nothing else about. Thank you. You,

We appreciate it, mom.

Next time we'll go out. You know I'm just playing

Ready for the season, man.

Know what I'm saying? Yes sir. Yes

Sir.

You bout to get outta here man. Yeah, I gotta go.

Your mom gotta pick you up? Stupid ass English assignment bro.

Hate Miss Jacob. She always on ten.

So tell me about it.

Alright, I'm gonna catch you later. Alright man. Alright,

Let's go boys, on the hop.

I wanna see it. Let's go. I wanna see some hustle.

That's it. That's it. Great form, Elijah.

Let's keep that pace up.

Woo. That was intense.

Definitely ready for the meet tomorrow

Bro.

If you keep running like that, you will be god damn.

Struggling To keep up. Be gas for the meet tomorrow.

I don't know about you.

Hey, maybe one day. Shoot.

I'm trying to get an excuse to get outta here

saying Yeah, man, who just text me.

Oh, you were being for real. Oh. Oh. Oh snap.

No she did not. Its Zoey. Hey, hey coach.

You think I can get outta here real quick?

Yeah. You alright? You good to go Elijah.

Alright, be I'll catch you later Tyler.

Everybody else, Back at it.

I wanna see some hustle up there. Tyler. Talking to you.

Let's go. Keep the pace. Keep the pace. So tell

Me, how's your little friend doing?

Talking about Zoey, mama.

Oh, Zoey I thought it was Zena. Come

On.

Stop playing. You know her

Name? Zoey?

Zoey. Zoey.Zoey Okay. How she's doing?

Yeah, she's doing good. Okay.

We just kicking it right now.

- Kicking it. And what that mean, Yall be kissing?

No, mom, we just hanging out. We just talking. That's all.

Okay. Okay. You're just talking.

But you know what your first focus is, right?

Hooping. Boy, it's

school

Yes. Okay, mom. Then hooping. Yes. I got you.

You know I don't get distracted.

I'm focused. Okay. I know you are. I

Know you are.

Hey, what's taking dad so long. Come on. I

Mean, he went to go get us some snacks.

Oh, okay. I hope he got the good cookies. What you got baby?

Some snacks.

You got the good cookies or you got the ones that you want?

You know, I got the good cookies. What's up champ?

Hey, what's up pop? Yeah, let me get one.

That's the old school's the one. Thank you.

Yeah, they sure is good. Don't get too much.

Hey, I crushed it.

Hey Coach said I'm in the top shape for the meet.

That's my boy. That's my boy. Keep doing your thing. I

Appreciate it.

Hey Pops, you think I can hang out

with the guys tonight? Come

On.

Alright, son. You can go.

But listen, you have a big day tomorrow, so you need

to come home one time and you text me when you get there

and keep me updated.

I got you, mom. I'm gonna be back by 10, okay?

Yeah, that's good. Okay. All.

Alright. That's my boy.

Oh yes sir, mama. Ah, ah.

Oh. We do it better. Oh, I love you. Love you son.

Hey always. I love y'all too. Be safe. Be safe.

Alright. Do Not forget to text me,

Okay Mom.

Okay. Thank you. Huh? What yall talking about?

His little friend, talking about they kicking it?

What that mean? Kicking it? I asked if they was kissing.

That's his boo. You think they kissing?

Talk to your son. Talk to your son.

'cause he needs to be drafted.

You know how they do you right

But that's your job

to keep the little flusies away. I like the square one.

No, no. I am telling y'all she was into me. Man.

Stop. Stop playing Man. Look who it is.

August. Good to See you. So what's good?

Always dancing. Yeah, what you dancing for today?

Because I like to dance. You know you can't dance.

You a hater brother. Speaking of dancing,

you know what I'm gonna ask you?

What? You come to the party after the meet or not?

Oh my gosh, man, I might. Depends on how tired I am.

Don't do that man.

What? Don't do that. Come on dog.

You know it's gonna be fun.

Alright. We'll see.

Just don't expect me to stay too long.

No expectations. No expectations.

Alright. I'mma have fun.

Matter of fact, she just text me, Ay, I'm about slide out, bout to slide out.

Alright. Hey, catch you later man.

Already messing up. We gotta work on that. We gotta work on

That.

You gotta work on that too,

I Guess.

All right, man. Take care.

I should probably head out as well. Alright cool

I guess go too.

Since you put the shot glasses out.

Me and my wife want to play another game. Oh

- Yes.

Y'all ready to drink? Mm. What are we playing? We here.

How spicy yall wanna get?

Hot Tamale. Hot Tamale

Okay. Habanero. Habanero.

Okay, so we will play a game.

Never have I Ever. Ever.

Yeah, I'm ready. I got it, I got it, start it off.

Never have I ever

fucked someone and didn't know their name?

Mm.

Why would you say something that you going to drink to? and you gonna drink too?

You bout to get me in trouble. You gonna drink

Here?

What Was Y'all doing, running

Trains?

Long story short. Long story short.

Keep the game going. Handle your business

Oh my gosh. Okay. Okay.

Let, let me, let me, Yeah, give him a little, I'm

Just gonna give you a little bit 'cause I feel like you

gonna be just drinking probably shit.

Give you a little bit

and I'm gonna give you a little bit too.

Gosh, y'all get everything. That's it.

You didn't anything. You know their name. You know my name?

Hopefully. Yes. I

Aisha. Mrs. Brooks?

Mm. What's your name again?

Oh, that's why I didn't do this.

See, slow down. See?

See I can't, that's why we don't go together now.

Come on, let's go. We don't, heard

Samuel L Jackson. Never have I ever.

You know what? You made us drink. Never have I ever looked

like Samuel L Jackson.

Oh, who is that? That nigga.

Oh, that name.

You don't wanna drink it on this for Joe.

He's a good sport. I'm gonna give a little bit more.

Mm. All y'all trying to gimme me drunk.

Dom, Dom. Your turn. Your turn. Okay.

Never have I ever licked any carpets.

Who licks the carpet? Who licks carpets? I got a vacuum.

What? I'm licking the carpet for? Cat. She Talking bout coochie

I ain't never lick no cat. Dom

You drink this. You want me to make you drink?

My wife ain't no cat.

She Ain't no cat.

She's a stallion. But you drank quickly when you ain't know that. Mm.

Okay. Okay. It's my turn. My turn. Never have I ever.

Y'all ready? Yeah, we ready, yeah, we rolling.

Never have I ever faked an orgasm. Dang. Woo.

So disrespectful. See, that's why we don't go together.

That's why we about to get a divorce. See what I'm saying?

I definitely know how to fake a darn orgasm. .

All that liquor you take, you ain't gonna last all alright?

Right. Alright. The can't run with

Everybody on empty.

Where is my honey pack?

Chewing. You mess some

Stuff up.

See? She know I don't gonna put her in a wheelchair.

That's what do in a press next

up there

You Next up Dom.

Lemme text my mom real quick

Stuff, Dom.

Oh my God.

Authorities have discovered the body

of an unidentified black male and in wooded area off of

Jefferson Avenue Police have not yet released any details.

But sources say the victim was found late last night.

Investigators are asking for anyone

with any information to come forward.

Just us. Yo. Yo, y'all no depressed mess tonight, man.

We celebrating my victory over here. You

Right?

Okay, so less talk more play. Let's go, let's go.

Hey Tyler. This is Mrs. Brooks. Listen.

Have you seen Elijah? He didn't come home last night.

They said they haven't seen him either.

He was headed to Zoey's when we left the park. Are you sure?

What do you mean y'all haven't seen him?

He was just with y'all last night.

He's been missing for hours.

- Tyler, do me a favor. Can you call around to your friends?

Please let us know what you find out. Okay. Thank you.

Should we call his coach? I'm getting nervous.

We need to call somebody. He ain't never did this.

Just want my baby

Mom.

Dad. I just text Elijah. He didn't respond.

I'm really scared. I just tried to talk to Zoey too.

And she said she hasn't seen him,

so apparently he never made it to her house.

I don't know what to do. I've tried verybody

that I can think of and nothing.

I just want my damn son home.

It's looking like we need to file a missing person report.

I'll go now.

Okay. Well let me go with you.

They need to know how serious this is.

You know how they do our babies?

We'll be back baby, Don't open the door for anybody. Okay.

How may I help you Folks?

Our son, Elijah Brooks is missing.

He didn't come home last night.

We called everyone, his friends, his girlfriend.

No one's heard anything.

We checked the neighborhood,

knocked on neighbor's doors and still nothing.

Kids these days.

Maybe he went to a party or is staying with a friend.

You know how teenagers are. They don't always check in.

No, not my son. He's responsible.

He tells us where he's going. He always checks

in something is wrong.

I, I can feel it.

Maybe he got into a fight with his girlfriend,

needed some space, or maybe he's just blown off some steam.

I'm sure he'll show up soon.

Mrs. Brooks, Mr. Brooks, I'm Detective Lewis.

Let's start from the beginning.

When was the last time that you saw Elijah?

I let him go to the park

after dinner to play ball with his friends.

And they said that after that he headed

to his girlfriend, Zoey's house.

But I called her and she hasn't heard from him either.

You know, this is not like my son.

He's never stayed out all night without letting me know.

And he always checks in.

We're not just talking about some kid who runs off. No.

Elijah's a good kid, an athlete. He has a bright future.

He wouldn't just disappear.

Our calls are going straight to voicemail.

We're not getting any response to our texts.

You'd be surprised how often this happens.

Kids get into all kinds of things.

Maybe he just needed some time for himself.

He's missing and we need you to do something about it.

We're his parents. We know that something is wrong.

We'll start looking into this right away.

We'll start by checking some surveillance footage

and asking around.

We'll do everything we can. Thank you.

Look, fill this out and we'll get started.

But like I said, he'll probably show up soon.

He should be home by now. Why isn't he home?

This is bullshit. Calling this coach.

Somebody has to know something.

Hey, coach, heard anything?

It's like they don't even care.

My baby's out there and they don't even care.

- Nobody's heard from him. It's like he vanished in thin air.

This is crazy.

Hi, I'm Nia Thompson. Coach called me,

Sure, come on in.

Hi, I'm Nia Thompson, community Advocate.

I heard about Elijah's story. His coach called us.

Make sure I would be here and I am here to help. Thank you.

Thank you for coming. Absolutely. Now we need to act fast.

I've brought some flyers with me,

but we need to organize a search.

The community has to know Elijah is missing. The cops.

don't give a second thought when one

of our kids goes missing. Unfortunately.

Thank you, Nia. The police downplayed this

as if my son doesn't even matter.

We can't wait for them. We'll get the word out ourselves.

We'll make so much noise until they have no

choice but to listen.

We have to find him.

We just have to. And we will.

We are going to fight for Elijah.

We won't allow them to forget about him.

And we certainly won't allow them

to sit on their behinds and do nothing.

The scoreboard,

They'll never show Elijah on the news like they do

The white kids that go missing.

They don't give a fuck about us.

Unless we force them to.

Well, that's what we'll do. We'll force them to pay attention.

By any means necessary.

Hey girl. Listen. We're not doing enough.

Can you come over? Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you all for coming

and we need to stay focused and organized.

Every minute counts.

Yes ma'am. Elijah's out there somewhere.

We can't rest until he's home.

Please, help us bring our son home.

Alright, we're gonna divide into groups.

Each group will cover a different area. Talk to everybody.

Shop owners, neighbors, anybody

who might know something about Elijah being missing.

Also, don't forget to ask them

to check their video cameras if they have any.

I'm gonna start here at the park where he was last seen

and then we're gonna fan out from there.

We also wanna keep the pressure on social media.

Keep sharing that flyer.

Keep tagging local, and national news stations.

We have to use every platform that we have.

Alright, thank you again for coming.

Please take the flyers

and the maps that are on the table over there.

Thank you. Thank you.

The keys to kingdom.

So by, we already won, whole squad

check the,

Excuse me.

Have you seen my boy Elijah books?

He's been missing since two nights ago.

No, sorry sir.

I haven't seen him, but we'd like to help out.

Yeah, I think you

Guys wanna help.

Sure, yeah. Yeah. I'll call my mom. Yeah. Yeah.

Let's call our parents.

Finally, you show up. Look.

What are you doing to find my son?

Ma'am, we're doing everything we can.

We got people looking into it.

Listen, you keep treating this like my son is just some

kid who got grounded and ran away.

Funny how you keep playing with me about my child.

But little Miss Jessica. Oh, her face is all over the news.

You got police searching for her.

Mrs. Brooks, I understand your frustration. Really.

We've put out an alert. We're following up on leads.

I promise we're taking this seriously.

We've seen how you handle cases like this.

We thought you would understand our frustration, sis,

but we'll find Elijah on our own.

If we have to

Gimme a call, if there are any

updates, no matter how small,

Let's get outta here.

They're gonna do it on their own.

What? You know

I want you to put this on.

Elijah. Elijah, Elijah,

Elijah.

Elijah. Elijah. Elijah. Elijah. Elijah. Elijah.

Elijah, Elijah. Elijah.

If you're out here, call out Elijah.

Eliza, it's Elijah. If you're out here Say something. Elijah.

E Elijah.

Elijah. Elijah. Elijah. Elijah,

Elijah.

I'm getting a little bit worried. Eli.

You know they have a whole task force for Jessica.

Well, we just gotta be a task force by ourself.

Elijah, Elijah, Elijah,

Elijah,

Elijah, Elijah,

Elijah, Elijah.

It's mom. If you're out there,

say something.

Hey, got this from community center, the Brooks kid,

Whose missing .You think it's worth covering?

Hmm. Not enough details.

Missing person's cases can be tricky.

Plus there's no foul play suspected.

Probably one of those runaway situations.

You got bigger stuff to cover.

I mean, the community's starting to rally.

It could gain traction.

And the parents are really pushing for coverage.

Listen, unless something major happens,

it's probably not gonna gain any attention.

If it makes you feel any better,

we can run it on the newspaper,

but it's not Front page material.

Okay. If you say so.

Still working on that Brooks case. Huh?

I told you it's probably nothing.

The kid will turn up eventually

And if he doesn't, what if something happened to him

and we're just sitting here doing nothing.

Look, you're getting all worked up over nothing.

Kids his age, they wander off.

They stay at a friends, they blow off steam.

Look, I'll bet you 20 bucks,

he'll show up on his own in a day or two.

And if he doesn't, are you gonna look his parents in the

eye and tell them We did everything we could.

Easy there Lewis, no need to get all worked up.

You're taking this way too personally.

Maybe someone should

Voices heard.

We don't know what's going on.

We, we haven't heard

anything. We need answers.

We're here today because the system has failed

Elijah Brooks and his family, we need answers,

after nearly two weeks, there's still been no proper search,

no media coverage, nothing.

We cannot let this stand. Ma'am

- My nephew went missing last year.

And it's the same story.

They don't care because he's a black boy

in the wrong neighborhood.

We have to let our voices be heard

and we going to get them heard today. Y

Yes. That's right. That is exactly why we're

organizing this march.

We're gonna take this to the streets, to the front doors

of the police station, to the media outlets.

They cannot ignore us.

If we stand together, we are going to fight

for Elijah Brooks

until his case gets the attention it deserves.

That's right. That's right. We need answers, that's right. Right.

This is not just about one child.

This is about every black and brown child

Ignored by the system. Yes.

Yes.

Justice for Elijah. Justice for Elijah.

Justice for Elijah. We're here to demand coverage.

For Elijah Brooks. Justice for Elijah.

Justice for Elijah,

Its time the media stop ignoring our black children

and start reporting

On this.

What's all this about This,

This is about your station's refusal

to reporting the disappearance of Elijah Brooks.

A 17-year-old black boy has been missing for days.

And all we're asking for is the same coverage

you gave Jessica Carter.

Why hasn't Elijah's story been on the news?

We can't cover every case. There's only so many resources.

But you found the resources for Jessica.

You found the resources to cover

every update of her disappearance.

What about my son? Bring home Elijah?

Look, I hear you. But we're just doing our job.

We report on what the police give us.

And that's the Problem.

The police aren't taking this case seriously.

So neither are you. Bring home Elijah?

Elijah's life matters just as much as Jessica's

Look, I'll see what I can do.

Okay, I'll see What I can do.

Bring home

Elijah, bring home Elijah. Bring home Elijah. If

He doesn't bring home Elijah, we'll be back.

Bring home Elijah. We'll be louder. Bring home Elijah.

Bring home Elijah. Bring home Elijah. Bring home Elijah.

Bring home Elijah. Bring Home Elijah.

I want this entire area swept. Leave no stone unturned.

You got it. Alright, team, we gotta stay focused

and cover every inch.

Stay together and keep your eyes peeled

for anything unusual.

He has to be out here somewhere. Marcus, he just has to, We'll find him babe.

We just have to keep hoping.

Over here.

I found something.

Oh Gosh. I'm sorry.

It's just Mrs. Brooks. No, don't touch it. Don't touch it.

We need to get it to the lab right away.

We have to secure the area. Mrs. Brooks. Mrs. Brooks.

How Good idea. Can't lose any more momentum.

All right team, we gotta stay focused, we gotta stay strong

and keep looking.

We will find him.

We just gotta keep searching.

We're gonna keep looking. I'm gonna get this to lab.

Dad, where is he?

Why haven't they found him yet?

I don't know. But we can't think the worst.

We're gonna find your brother. Okay,

Well the police aren't doing enough.

They found his shoes, but what else?

They're dragging their feet,

I know, babe. But we gotta keep it together.

We gotta keep it together for Elijah,

for Jasmine, right?

- Why the fuck Yyou so calm Marcus?

My son is not a statistic.

They found his got damn shoes,

but yet you're so fucking calm everybody.

Everybody's so fucking calm. I need my

Son home.

Don't you ever question my love for my son Aisha.

I been Trying to keep it together for you, for Jasmine.

But I just want Snap.

I just wanna break something.

I wanna make the world feel the pain I feel right now.

But I can't. I can't let myself go there.

'cause if I do, I won't be able to come back.

I'm sorry Marcus. Look.

I'm sorry, but what am I supposed to do?

I don't know what to do.

None of us do, babe.

We got a whole Gotta hold on to each other. Alright.

No matter what. Alright.

Alright.

Oh baby, I'm sorry, too. We're gonna find him.

I am not in the mood.

Hello. Aisha Brooks. Yes. Hello. Mrs. Brooks.

Clothing we found on the scene matches the description of

what Eisha was last seen wearing.

So what does that mean? Is it him?

We're sending it to the lab for further testing,

but it's not looking good Ms. Brooks.

No, no, no,

No.

Please. What's the next step, detective?

We'll widen the search.

Focus on the areas where the clothing was found.

I'll notify you of any updates.

I know what you're thinking. Detective.

My son is not dead. He will show up.

Girl, you remember when Elijah used to do

that little dance thing on his tricycle?

I couldn't get that boy to ride that thing for nothing.

Oh my goodness. It's crazy how he's now an athlete.

Yeah. And he's good at it. Yeah, I'm surprised.

'cause you know Marcus don't got no skills. Nope.

He could do a little, stop. He plays okay. He's straight.

He ain't that great girl. How you feeling though?

Miss my boy. Yeah, I miss him too.

He's coming back though, right. Yeah.

That's what we're praying for. Yeah. Hmm.

You feel confident about this interview? I

No.

Why? It's just been so hard to get people to listen to us.

So I am hoping that this will get us some more attention.

Yeah, but I don't know.

But you know, God doesn't

want you to be anxious for anything.

So I'm angry

and I can sense that every day.

I mean you take it out on on Marcus too. We feel it.

But you know that being angry is an honest emotion. Right?

And it's not your fault that any of this happened.

Listen sis, you don't have much time.

Let's just go ahead and say a prayer. Okay. Okay.

That's something we haven't done in a while. Okay?

Hmm. Dear heavenly Father, we just come

before you with grateful hearts in

spite of the circumstances.

God, Yes, we're hurting, we're confused, we're weary.

And God, we really need your strength.

Lord, just bless my sister. God, give her the peace of mind.

God give her the knowledge, the wisdom,

and the articulation of speech, God.

So that she can just be able to tell our story.

God, our story, our feelings.

They just need to be heard right now. God.

And we just feel like we're being so overlooked.

God, wherever Elijah is, we just pray that he's okay.

He's okay. He didn't deserve this.

We just pray that he's safe.

God wrap your loving arms around him, God.

And just please touch this family like,

like never before God.

We pray for the supporters God.

And we pray for people in law enforcement just

to be aware and awake God

and really pay attention

to what's going on in our community, Lord,

because we do feel alone.

So we're seeking for your comfort in your son Jesus Christ, we do pray and we thank you in advance, God. Amen. Amen.

Thank you.

You're welcome. Anytime.

Oh, Come

How long you been standing here?

Just sitting here a little bit. Hey, what's up?

You need some prayer next? Maybe next time.

oh okay.

'cause I was about to go anyway. I know.

Crazy.

I just finished calling mom and checking on Jasmine.

How's Jasmine doing? She

Alright, Worried about her brother

Yeah, me too.

We are live with Marcus

and Aisha Brooks, whose son Elijah has been missing

for a week today.

First, I really just wanna thank both of you

and let you know that my thoughts

and prayers have been

with you since I first learned about your son's case.

And I know that's not enough.

Well, I won't say that it's not enough.

But just to know that you took out some time

for us really speaks volumes.

This conversation, this case,

it's really just so important.

But it's one that no one wants to discuss. Today,

I wanna talk to you about who your son was

and what he meant to you.

Elijah, he's one of my greatest gifts from God.

He's funny, he's smart, he's handsome.

You know, just a real go-getter. He loves me.

He loves his family. You know, Elijah just, just loves.

He's really the heart of our family.

So, take your time.

He loves to laugh.

He loves to, he loves to laugh.

He loves to make others

laugh, and he loves to smile.

He has the greatest smile.

So, you called all of the news stations in the area

outside of our area, including the police departments.

And what happened?

What was that process for you and your husband

and what was that reality, realizing

that no one is hearing you?

Honestly, I didn't realize, we didn't realize it

until we started to call around to media outlets ourselves.

And they were just blowing us off.

There was only one journalist

at the school that would help us.

And then there's you and that's it.

Mr. Brooks, when you began seeing more coverage on Jessica

Carter's case,

but no attention on your son's case,

how did that make you feel?

Honestly, it made me ready to snap.

'cause it's not about white or black

or any other race.

It's just about us as parents looking

for help to find our son.

It's like they just say eff our son,

but they're quick to give him unstoppable coverage when he's

bouncing their basketballs or running on their fields.

But when my son is missing, he gets no attention.

That's collateral damage.

How does a six foot something athlete just go missing

after playing ball in the park with his friends,

It makes no sense.

I mean, you have two different families from two different

sides, who went missing around the same time,

yet only one case is garnering any attention and coverage.

Yes, that's correct.

But the police don't see that or they refuse to see it.

I mean, everywhere we look, it's Jessica this, Jessica

that, she's everywhere.

But there's no coverage for my black son.

I agree. The sad reality is, it is our responsibility

to help others, to help them be heard and not silence them

or the crisis at hand.

Your son is all of our sons,

just like Jessica is all of our daughters.

So you and your family have pretty much done everything on

your own, is that correct?

Yes. Well, with some help from the community,

our neighbors, some of my son's friends,

otherwise pretty much on our own.

Hmm. And do you think they may not seem to care

because a white girl is more important

to them than finding a black

or brown missing youth in this community?

I mean, that could be the case,

but regardless of if this is a, a storyline

or not, my son is missing

and he deserves the same coverage as anybody else.

I'm sorry. Don't apologize. It's quite okay.

We also have here with us today,

Elijah's best friend and teammate.

Tyler. I'm sure this has been really hard on all

of you on all different levels.

Um, Yeah. This has been really difficult

experience for all of us.

I guess for me personally, you know, I'm his teammate,

but as Mr.

And Ms. Brooks will agree, I've been friends with him

so long, I consider him a brother.

So, you know, being the the last person to see him

before he went missing it, it, it's hard not

to put a little bit of that blame on yourself.

You know, I've been

having some trouble sleeping.

It's, it's just hard to kind of get over that fact and,

and move on and not put a little bit of blame.

But I, I I'm sorry.

It's, it's, it's just been really difficult.

I understand that, Tyler.

How hard has it been without his presence on the

court or at school?

I'd say for me the, the hardest part wasn't when

they broke the news to me about him being missing.

It was, you know, going back to normal, to normal life.

And he, he's not there, you know, like

practices, um, games.

I mean, I, I sit next to him in two classes.

You know, the,

the teachers don't call his name for attendance anymore.

It feels like they're just, they're starting to, you know,

get over it, move on.

I'm like, I don't, I don't understand.

I mean, he's out there. Right?

One reporter came to our last game.

One, the, the article in the newspaper.

It, it was probably this big.

So many are refusing to show any urgency for this case

to include law enforcement, some media outlets,

but also the community that surrounds you.

Why do you think that is?

- I don't know. I guess it happens around here.

You know, I, I, I see it on the news.

I see it on television

and I, I guess I just feel like a lot

of people, including myself, always thought, you know, gosh,

that's terrible, but it won't happen to me.

It happens. I mean, it happened.

I just, I just don't understand.

It just, I mean, I don't know who is trying to find him.

My, my, my mom's tried to explain it to me multiple times.

I don't, I don't get it.

It, it feels like they're not even trying.

And I don't understand who's gonna find him.

No, there's no been none, no police reports, nothing.

I mean, we're, we're the only ones doing anything.

I, I'm, I'm sorry.

- Mr. And Mrs. Brooks,

what has the police response been for you all?

- To be honest, it's been dismissive,

especially Officer Polk.

He seems to think that my son just ran away

and there's no cause for concern.

- They only make it public.

'cause we made it public as we can on our own.

And now we make it publicly known,

the treatment we have received

and also the treatment my wife has received.

It's like their only main focus is this little white girl.

- Lemme say this. When parents are seeking

help for their child, they need answers.

They don't need to be disrespected in the process.

- It seems like it's, it's a significant disparity

in the way missing cases are handled when it's a life

that looks like mine versus a life

- That looks like the color of privilege.

- Hey, detective, you got a minute? Got something for you.

What is it? Forensics. DNA came back on

both bodies. Thought you'd be the first to see it.

- How long have you known?

- Not long. It just hit my desk.

Thought you'd be the first to open it.

I know how much this case meant to you. Just know I got your back.

For what it's worth. Key. I'm sorry.

- Four weeks.

- Four damn weeks.

We solved Jessica's case in two weeks

had press conferences, billboards.

But Elijah. A little black boy

popped in the dumpster.

Listen, I'm tired. If y'all don't have any new information, get outta my yard.

- We have something. Can

we come in?

You might wanna sit down for this.

- We don't need to sit down for shit. Officer Polk,

Get the fuck off my couch, man. Say what Y'all gotta say.

Did y'all find my fucking son?

- DNA match, Elijah Brooks

- Gunshot wound.

Right side of the head. Kidneys Missing, replaced with paper.

Paper. They

- took his organs

and filled them with fucking paper.

No, no. This is some, this

- Is some fucking joke

No,

- You mean to tell us,

You let us look for him. You let us beg for help.

And the entire time ,you found him days

after we we reported him missing.

And you ain't saying shit. No. Mm,

- No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Where the fuck where you at?

When My baby was laying, around like garbage.

- Look, these things happen.

Maybe he got himself into something he couldn't handle.

Wrong crowd, wrong girl. Who knows.

- No. What the fuck,

what, you think our son did this to himself?

You think he did this to

- Himself? To himself?

Maybe he did. Some of these kids, they play stupid games.

They win stupid prizes.

- You're out of line, officer.

- Get the fuck out. Where's my baby?

He was just another statistic.

- Where's my baby? I need my son Now. That's not my son.

Go get my baby. Get my motherfucking baby.

I wanna hug my baby. I want, get shit. Get it outta here.

This is not my

- Son.

I wanna hug my baby. I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry Mrs. Brooks. I didn't

- Know, we failed you.

I failed you

Elijah. Failed the community,

- I tell you something, bitch, you better find who did this.

Find them. I swear to you. I will.

I'm sorry

- Now they care now that my fucking son is gone.

They all want a piece of the story.

Where were they when we needed help finding him

- They never cared about Elijah. They only

wanna exploit our pain.

- I should go out there and tell 'em all to leave.

They wasn't there when we was looking for help

Finding him. They damn sure don't deserve to be here now.

- Motherfuckers think I'm playing

- This man.

Sorry bro. I don't even got words

Where ya cups at, bro.

And take a drink with him, man.

It's okay to let it out, bro.

You don't have to carry this all on your own.

He was your son, Marcus.

I tried so hard to stay strong, bro. For Aisha, for Jasmine.

But I just can't do it no more,

D. They took my fucking son, bro.

And these fucking police. They saying we can't see him.

The fuck they mean, bro?

I can't see my son.

You done everything you could, Marcus.

No one expects you to be invincible.

We all here for you, bro. Whatever you need.

Whatever you need.

Why my son? Why would they do this to him?

Why the fuck did this happen? Who the fuck did this?

I can't believe they're trying to say he did

this to himself.

My baby would never do that.

They're just trying to make it easy on themselves, babe.

Make it seem like another black kid who just gave up.

Elijah wouldn't do that.

And how the hell would he remove his own damn organs?

He had too much to live for, babe.

We know the truth. But what do we do now?

We fight. We fight for Elijah.

Fight for every child like him.

After a thorough investigation.

We believe the evidence points

to a tragic case of self-harm.

While this is a devastating outcome,

we must respect the facts as they are presented.

They're lying. They trying to cover up the truth.

This motherfucker has the audacity.

We won't let them. We'll let the

world know what they did to our son.

Why did it take you so long?

We've already addressed that.

Is it because he's Black? You know what,

no further questions at this time.

What do we paying taxes for, Officer? Thank

You.

You're not doing your freaking job. Racist.

I've been reading this book by author Khalilah Purnell.

It's called Vanished Innocence. It's so powerful.

It's like she gave her baby a voice

before he ever even needed one.

My nephew, Elijah Brooks, he should be alive today.

He should be right here with me,

with his parents, in this community.

He should be laughing, playing basketball,

chasing his dreams.

But instead, we're here forced to gather in the name

of his death, a death

that the police claimed was his own fault.

They say, maybe he was caught up in something.

Maybe he made a bad choice. They whispered,

maybe he took his own life. But how? You tell me how.

How does someone shoot they selves in the side of the head,

strip their own body,

scatter their clothes across different locations,

remove their organs

and replace it with paper, all on their own?

How? Elijah,

was not just a statistic, he was a son,

a brother, a friend,

a nephew, a teammate.

He was loved. He mattered.

But from the moment he went missing, there was no urgency.

Um, We begged for help. We searched

for weeks while they told us to just wait it out.

We pleaded for someone, anyone to just

help, to care.

But nobody did. Because when a, a little boy

that looks like me, goes missing

the world just turns the other way.

The media is silent.

Police take their time and urgency never comes.

But when Jessica Carter went missing,

when a little white girl was taken from her home,

the world stopped.

There was press conferences and billboards, a task force.

She was found in less than two weeks. Why does my godson's

Life matter less.

Why do black and brown families have to beg

for the same urgency?

For the same attention, the same energy that should be

so freely given?

Why do we need a separate alert system just

to remind the world that we exist?

An Amber alert. An Ebony alert.

Why do our missing children need a label

before they're even seen as human?

All children should matter.

All missing people should be searched for

with the same urgency.

There should be no divide, no separation,

no race attached to an alert system,

that should simply mean this life is important.

I refuse to let my Elijah's name fade into a statistic.

I refuse to let this keep happening.

Elijah, we love you.

And I swear we will not stop fighting until your name,

until all of their names are heard

and are fought for, the way they should have

been from the start.

These are the faces of the forgotten.

The names that deserve more, that deserved better.

They were loved, they

mattered, and they still matter.

Keyshae Jacobs, Linnon Latham.

Relicia Rudd, Akia Eggleston, Daniel Robinson,

Kierra Coles, Phoenix, Coldon, Jalen Griffin,

Amari Hall, Jabez Span.

Jelani Day, Kier and Chloe Johnson. and Cody.

Bigsby.

No more. No more. No more. No more. No more.

No more. No more. No more. No more.

No more. No more. No more. No more.

No more. No more. No more.

No more. No

More.

No more. No more. No.

Here. I'm here. I'm

Lord.

I'm ready for your favor. Here I am..

Lord. Come fill me with your spirit.

Lord, This I say, this I say

I'm

Lord, I'm

I, I.

Your spirit.