Elijah McClain’s mother, Sheneen McClain, remembers her son as the world learns of his tragic demise

When Sheneen McClain, the mother of Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old who died last August after an unprompted run-in with Aurora, Colo., police, shows pictures of her son, she makes sure to show before-and-after pictures of what Elijah looked like. "He was dehumanized by police," McClain said. "So if you can look at those pictures, you can look at the truth."

Video transcript

SHENEEN MCCLAIN: For Elijah, justice is them having to live the rest of their days knowing that everybody knows how evil they are. They need to lose their job.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Elijah had been killed Saturday night when they stopped him. After they came up, he was already dead. He had a heart attack. You know, they just brought him back to life and put him on display in the hospital so that they could figure out how to cover up their story. And [INAUDIBLE] medical center.

When the police first approached me, they-- Elijah was attacked. Well, what happened? Well, we don't know, but we need to get you to the hospital. They wouldn't give me any specifics. When I got to the hospital, I still had to wait, like, another hour to talk to the doctor to even see my son.

When I got back there, there was like-- there was always at least seven police officers around the room. Some got to the point where they would stand up and just watch him because of the camera. There was no justification for what those bullies with badges did. That's all they are.

Aurora, Colorado is full of bullies with badges, plain and simple. I've been showing people the before and after pictures of Elijah, and a lot of people are saying that that's not respectful to Black people and that people shouldn't be dehumanizing him with those pictures.

He was dehumanized by those police officers. So if you cannot look at him in those pictures, you cannot look at the truth. Because that's who he was. He was an artist. You know, he expressed himself with music. He was a drawer himself. He drew all the time, too.

You know, now he was planning on going to art school once he took time from massage therapy. Elijah wanted to conquer and move on. Conquer his body. So when he learned massage therapy, it was so that he can learn what he needed to heal himself also. You know, a better way of living, a better way of life.

But he was gonna take time off from that and then go to school to be an artist. He loved games. He wanted to be a graphic artist. Things like that. You know, so it's amazing.

[MUSIC PLAYING]