Black community activist and organizer Derrick Sanderlin was ironically shot on May 29th in San Jose, California, by the same police department with whom he spent three years training on implicit bias.
Sanderlin was shot during a protest demonstration by rubber bullets. The well-known community activist built a relationship with the police department during his work training police recruits on how to better interact with the community. Sanderlin was shot in his testicle and required emergency surgery.
When speaking of what led him to the protest, Sanderlin explained that “I really just couldn’t watch it anymore. And just kind of made like a parallel walkover, put my hands up, and just stood in the line of the fire and asked them to please not do this.” He continued, “I pause for a moment like maybe this isn’t, maybe this doesn’t hurt and falling afterwards is like the most painful experience.”
As a result, doctors have said that there is a chance that the shot may have rendered him infertile. However, there is no way to know for sure until he and his wife attempt conceiving.
“And I just started weeping at the thought of that,” his wife of four years, Cayla, explained to ABC7. “You know, we do want kids, and we’re very close to having kids.”
San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia, who knows the activist personally, issued a statement assuring that he would be launching an investigation into the shooting.
“Derrick has been a real leader in our communities’ efforts to reduce bias and discrimination through dialogue. I assured him we will be investigating this incident.”
