Derrick Gaines’s life was stolen ten years ago, June 5th, 2012, at the age of 15 by former South San Francisco police officer Joshua Cabillo. Derrick was walking and had just left McDonald's trying to get home when officer Cabillo approached him. Officer Cabillo lied about what happened, and that was the narrative that was told to the public; he had no body cam on at the time either. Reports all over the media criminalized and dehumanized this 15-year-old boy. “He was never given a chance,” said Derrick’s aunt referencing his execution and how this system treats Black and Brown youth. These twisted and deceiving stories told by the city are something we have seen before as a tactic to reinforce the racist system that IS policing. Officer Cabillo’s lies were supported while the witnesses’ testimonies were ignored, and no full investigation was ever done either. To this day, Officer Cabillo has NOT faced any charges for his killings and is still active in San Francisco’s police department, terrorizing the community. And after a decade, there is still NO justice or peace for Derrick and his family.

To continue Derrick’s legacy, we are raising these funds for a permanent mural/memorial and to start a project to help young local music artists shine their light. Derrick loved music; he would freestyle all the time and actually had his own label going. He always expressed his feelings through music, and we hope to support our local youth with doing exactly that, with this project. This is a chance for all youth because yes, Derrick is unique but, his story is not.

For transparency, the project and memorial is still in the works. To keep this grassroots, this is an open and collaborative process with community. We would love to have community support with this project to keep Derrick’s story and dreams alive. Any and all donations are appreciated, if you have any other relevant resources feel free to email or DM the @justiceforderrickgaines Instagram. Thank you so much!

In loving Memory of Derrick Gaines,

IG: @justiceforderrickgaines

linktr.ee/justice4derrickgaines