Why the Mother of a Man Killed by Police Wants a Seat in Government

Mr. Brandon Tate-Brown, the eldest son of Mrs. Tanya Brown-Dickerson, was killed by a Philadelphia police officer months before a Department of Justice report became public which criticized the department’s use of deadly force policy, among other things, and offered recommendations to remedy it. Now, Mr. Tate-Brown’s mother wants a seat on the board established to ensure recommendations are implemented.

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She answered the phone on the fourth ring, and when she said, “Hello,” her voice sounded as if was restrained by tons of grief, her vocal chords unable to produce a range beyond a whisper.

Mrs. Tanya Brown-Dickerson, the mother of Mr. Brandon Tate-Brown, who today would’ve been 27 years of age, has, over the last few months, been removed from the spotlight and the headlines about her son’s murder has been few, though activists—including her cousin, Mr. Asa Khalif, head of the Pennsylvania chapter of Black Lives Matter—has continued to speak the name of Brandon Tate-Brown in the streets and a lawsuit against the city is still at play.

Now, approaching a year to the date when Mr. Tate-Brown was shot in the back of the head by a Philadelphia police officer while unarmed and fleeing, Mrs. Brown-Dickerson is depleted of adrenaline and now has come face to face with her grim reality: “Brandon won’t be coming through my doors anymore and looking through the refrigerator.”

Mrs. Brown-Dickerson, who spoke exclusively to Techbook Online hours before she’s scheduled to appear at a 7:30 pm candlelight vigil at the spot on Frankford Avenue where Mr. Tate-Brown was gunned down by rookie police officer Mr. Nicholas Carrelli, said she didn’t expect the grief to be so hard to deal with, and that the 15th day of every month—Mr. Tate-Brown was killed on December 15th, 2014—has brought with it a pain that’s insurmountable.

But even in her own grief, she’s managed to push out compassion for others who are in her situation, a testament to the Christian values she holds close and which she instilled firmly into her baby boy, who she said was baptized in the Apostolic church, though he didn’t attend religiously.

“I can’t imagine how the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown deal with this pain,” she said, at the onset of our one hour phone conversation.

Mrs. Brown-Dickerson’s voice began to rise in volume and a tinge of cheer was added when we talked about early birthday memories of her son, who was, in public and private, a proud Mama’s Boy.

“When he turned 18,” said Mrs. Brown-Dickerson, he told me: “I’m a grown man, now, Mommy… I’m your superman for real.”

In numerous conversations, Mrs. Brown-Dickerson has described her son as a protector, not just of her personhood, but of those who he came in contact with and called friend. And today’s chat with the deceased’s mother was no different, as she enumerated to me the many instances when Mr. Tate-Brown stood up for the little guy or gal.

In August, at a press conference to announce that several black faith and civic groups had jumped ship and were now siding with the Tate-Brown family against the bureaucracy, Mrs. Brown-Dickerson said she noticed a young man in the crowd crying. She approached him and asked if he knew Brandon, and he replied: “Yes, I went to school with Brandon and he always protected me.”

“Brandon was an advocate for people,” she said.

Mrs. Brown-Dickerson, as one would expect, is angry, but now that’s she acknowledged her grief, she enraged, particularly at the fact that no one has offered an apology in the aftermath of “me proving reasonable doubt.”

For months, after the fatal officer involved shooting, police officials contended that Mr. Tate-Brown had been reaching for a gun inside his car and thus, in the interest of self-preservation, Officer Carrelli killed him. What turned out to be true was that Mr. Tate-Brown, after a struggle with the cops, broke free from their grip and as he ran away, approaching the right side of the trunk, was gunned down by the officer who had on his person a Taser.

“Policing is necessary, we need it, but so is accountability, and that’s all I’ve been shouting for since day one,” said Mrs. Brown-Dickerson, who has, in the wake of her son’s murder, become quite the activist, appearing and speaking at countless protests and even co-hosting a mayoral forum on police and criminal justice reform organized by Techbook Online and The Declaration.

To fix the policing problem as she sees it, Mrs. Brown-Dickerson, who many assume hates the police and government and once said she looked forward to leaving the City, now wants a spot on either the Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission—who has recently been granted new powers—or the Mayor’s Community Oversight Board, which has been criticized for not including community activists.

“Just because I feel betrayed by my government doesn’t mean I don’t want to participate in improving it… I don’t hate the police, and somebody like me would have a personal investment in ensuring that reforms are implemented, besides, they made this my fight when they took Brandon from me.”

Mr. Tate-Brown’s first birthday party was a modest one, just immediate family, cake, ice cream and balloons for him to pop. Throughout the years, Mrs. Brown-Dickerson said she kept the birthdays simple, but noted that Thanksgiving was the real celebration, as that was Mr. Tate-Brown’s favorite occasion and he so loved his mother’s cooking.

“I’d give anything to have Brandon back, but I realize that this position I’m in – to potentially change laws – is where I need to be… The good die young, I didn’t believe that quote until now,” she said.

* Tune into 900amWURD or 900amWURD.com every Friday evening at 6:30pm to hear me relive #TheWeekThatWas*

Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™