Justice 4 Jamal Legal Support Fund

My name is Ann-Marie White.  On January 7, 2020, my loving son and best friend, Jamal Francique, was shot in the back of his head by Peel Police, and was even kicked by an Officer as he laid dying on the ground.  He took his last breath on January 9, 2020.   He is survived by his two beautiful children, mother, father, stepfather, brother, sisters and grandparents.

The loss of my son has caused immeasurable suffering, not just to myself as his mother, but to the entire family, friends and community.  My son was a vibrant soul that saw beauty in everyone, and helped anyone he could, especially when it came to cars.

Those who had the opportunity to meet Jamal enjoyed his company and humour. Many people say that Jamal had a smile that brightens any room he would enter. Jamal was very artistic as he loved to write, sing and dance.  Jamal graduated from St. Aloysius Gonzaga.  He then attended community college to pursue a career in automotive trade while simultaneously nurturing his musical aspirations. After a short time spent studying to be a certified mechanic, he shifted gears and went on to study HVAC.  His dream of becoming a musical artist never wavered despite the adjustments in his line of work.

During his lifetime,  Jamal was an avid contributor to the community, always taking on an assortment of job roles and open to new challenges.  He once said, "Mom, I think I want to be a psychologist",  I said, "Go for it baby, I'm sure you can". 
Some jobs held:  He found himself in mechanic co-op placement, car detailing, carpet removal contracting, and construction.  He was a jack of all trades.  Unforeseen circumstances and injuries slowed down his progress, so he turned his attention to rebuilding old cars, another one of his passions, he loved classic cars.  He would frequently go to auctions to buy old damaged cars, and spent his free time in the garage rebuilding them.  He always took great pride in his work upon completion. 

Jamal Francique always did his best to inspire others, and encouraged his friends to be the best version of themselves! He was always there for them; he didn't have the word "no" in his vocabulary and went above and beyond to help anyone in need. My son Jamal was very kind, respectful (especially to his elders), and had a very beautiful heart. My loving son didn't deserve what Peel Police did to him on that fateful night on January 7, 2020 when he was shot and his life was ripped from him two days later; I watched him in the hospital bed fighting to live, but with a bullet lodged inside his head, he lost that fight on January 9, 2020. Peel Police took away his rights: to live, to be with his children whom he loved dearly, and to be with his family.  My children are my world...Jamal was my world! He truly meant everything to me, and living without him is the worst pain life has ever brought upon me....

Now, our family is here fighting to get the justice he deserves, after all the Officers responsible for his death were cleared and not held accountable by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), which cleared some 95 per cent of police officers it investigated in recent years. We are working parents. I, myself returned to work just a little over 3 months after losing my son because work is one of my main survival mechanism. 

I'm writing on behalf of my family, asking for assistance in this fight. We cannot do it alone financially anymore, as we are still carrying the debt incurred from his funeral expenses.  My son did not have life insurance.

We do not have the financial means to bear it all, specifically around paying the legal fees to fight for him and assistance for his beautiful children.  So we are humbly asking the community for any financial support they can offer.  Financial support will assist with legal fees and the independent investigation into the circumstances of Jamal's death, aid with his children's well-being and future education, as well as to cover remaining expenses resulting from his passing.


Thank you

Ann-Marie White
(Mother of Jamal Derek Francique Jr.)


Legal Background

Jamal Derek Francique Jr., was shot in the back of the head by a Peel Regional Police officer after multiple undercover officers approached Mr. Francique in the dark to arrest him for leaving his house contrary to his bail conditions.

The police had him under surveillance for days, knew he lived around the corner and could have knocked on his door or stopped him before he got into his car.

His attempted arrest by 6 undercover officers at night was dangerous and fatal which resulted in Jamal's loss of life at 28 years old and devastated family.

Legal battles such as these take years, and after the first year there is still much more work to be done.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has concluded there are insufficient grounds to charge any police officers in the shooting death of Jamal, however the family and community feel otherwise. The SIU has a long history of clearing Ontario police officers in circumstances involving fatal shootings of Black men in Ontario.

SIU data showed that Black people were over-represented in use of force cases (28.8%), shootings (36%), deadly encounters (61.5%) and deaths caused by police shootings (70%).

http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/disparate-impact-second-interim-report-inquiry-racial-profiling-and-racial-discrimination-black

Financial support will enable legal resources to be allocated to the independent investigation into the circumstances of Jamal's death, as well as to cover remaining expenses resulting from Jamal's passing.

Your donation will assist in:

- aid with his children's well-being and future education

- retaining a legal team to challenge the initial SIU report and launch a civil claim against the Peel Police and related responsible parties

- hiring ballistics experts to determine the trajectory of the 4 bullets fired at Mr. Francique

- covering outstanding expenses related to Mr. Francique's funeral and family

- and other unforeseen expenses related to achieving Justice 4 Jamal.

Your donation will assist in taking one step closer towards police accountability in relation to the violence inflicted upon Black men by police in North America.

Thank you for your donation and thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,

Justice 4 Jamal

‘It hurts like hell’ Jamal Francique’s family vows to seek ‘justice’ after SIU clears cop who killed him