By Araceli Crescencio
NASHVILLE, TN (WTVF) — It only takes one glimpse inside Sheila Clemmons Lee’s house to see what a loving mother she is.
It’s been six years since Lee lost her son Jocques Clemmons. He was shot and killed by a Metro Nashville Police Department officer when police said he didn’t drop his gun during a fight following a traffic stop.
His death led to city-wide protests.
Since then, Lee has been on a quest for justice, making it her mission to prevent other mothers from experiencing the same agony.
“Jocques — he didn’t get a chance. There was nobody to go to when he was killed,” Lee said.
She helped push for a community oversight board to act as a watchdog and investigate complaints against MNPD officers.
“We held town hall meetings to educate people on why a COB was needed. We had the numbers of how many people were being killed, we did knock on doors, we had to get so many signatures,” she said.
After a battle that lasted years, Nashville overwhelmingly voted to pass an amendment in 2018 to create a citizen-led COB.
But the decision from Tennessee lawmakers this month to disband COBs and replace them with advisory boards with no power to investigate complaints, has left Lee baffled, heartbroken, and once again disappointed in the voting process.
“Because what we’re gonna vote and get it passed and then a few years down the road the lawmaker can [say] ‘oh no we don’t want this”’
She’s hoping Gov. Bill Lee will listen to the people and veto the bill.
“I’m pleading here on TV: do not sign that bill. I’m asking you as a mother who has lost a child due to the negligence of the police, please don’t sign that bill,” she said.
