By James Bell
Hays Post

Justice for Joey, an organization that has been organized in the wake of the shooting death of Hays resident Joseph Weber, has planned a candlelight vigil for 8:30 p.m. Thu., Aug. 25, at Hickok Park, 26th and Donald Dr., to gather the community together to remember Weber.

J.J. Wright, co-founder of Justice for Joey, said the campaign is growing organically and many people have been already involved.

Wright attended school in Oakley with Weber from kindergarten through high school. Wright graduated from Fort Hays State University before relocating to the west coast.

“It’s (the vigil) absolutely 100 percent about Joey and the loss of his life and someone so amazing and great and another person with disabilities to have lost his life by the hands of a police officer,” Wright said.

But while mourning the loss, he said a conversation needs to begin about the tragedy.

“Now, the important thing is to have dialogue and talk about this and talk about the tragedy. I think we all want answers and we are not getting them.

“I don’t want to speak for everyone else, but it’s suspicious. I believe many others think it’s suspicious as well,” Wright said, adding the lack of detailed information from officials is “very disheartening.”

“I think that a lot of people might feel that way. We’re searching for answers as to what the real facts are, but we’re also searching for answers that speak to how the Hays Police Department is being trained,” he said.

And Wright feels the death of Weber should be a part of a national conversation that needs to begin.

“This is so much bigger than (Weber) as well,” he said. “The very same day Joey was shot and killed, a deaf man by the name Daniel Harris was shot and killed.”

“They both were supposedly being looked into for a traffic violation. They both apparently continued on, there was a chase of some sort and they both went directly to a place of safety.”

Harris was shot and killed by a North Carolina state trooper the same day as Weber and is being described as deaf and speech impaired.

“So we have two men who did exactly the same thing. Daniel went to his home, Joey went to his other home for a group with disabilities that he spent a lot of time at, and they were both shot and killed in front of those homes. That for me is something worth discussing and talking about,” Wright said.

He also noted a recent report by the Ruderman Family Foundation found up to half of all police-involved shooting deaths are of disabled individuals and often times those deaths are blamed on the victim.

“That’s pretty staggering with all the other movements happening and going on; this one (Weber) still hasn’t still gotten a lot of attention,” Wright said.

And he said many comments in the Weber case allude to Weber’s abilities and are taking away from what should be the focus of the incident.

“I think a lot of people jump to conclusions and the dialogue surrounding this incident is more about victim blaming and I’m worried that is the narrative.”

As an example, many comments on social media suggested Weber should not have been driving a vehicle with his disability.

“That’s victim blaming,” Wright said.

“The only situation that should matter, in my opinion, is the behavior of the Hays Police officer.”

As details of the incident have yet to be released, Wright has trouble understanding the use-of-force in this case.

Weber lived with autism as long as Wright knew him and was always smiling and treating everybody perfectly.

“To me, Joey posing a threat to the Hays Police Department in my eyes is almost laughable,” Wright said and he questions why other tactics were not first utilized.

“I think that is the hardest thing for everyone to understand,” he said.

Now, Wright believes the goal should be to continue to raise awareness of the problems caused by frequent misunderstandings between police and disabled individuals – that often carry fatal consequences.

“I think ultimately the most positive outcome would be the community of Hays and communities across the nation would look at their own police forces and celebrate them, but also determine why these incidents are happening, look into them and get the conversation started,” he said.

“Ultimately, the outcome would be to celebrate Joey and to also see whether or not this was an injustice.”

If an injustice is found, Wright hopes the community can come together and agree on the outcome for the officer and department.

“I hope that the community, the state, the nation,–if this story does spread and that enough people become aware of it–those voices can collectively help agree on that decision,” he said.

In the meantime, Wright hopes the vigil can be a solemn reflection on Weber’s life.

“We ask for it to be very peaceful, very civil and just a celebration of Joey,” he said.

“We hope everyone in that community understands that.”

The vigil is open to the public, with participants asked to bring candles if possible.

To find out more about the campaign, visit their Facebook page or follow the group on Twitter.