Jaheim McMillan supporters call for Family Dollar boycott following police shooting

As previously reported by REVOLT, 15-year-old Jaheim McMillan was fatally shot by police in front of a Family Dollar store in Gulfport, Mississippi on Oct. 6. Officers claimed the young boy was carrying a firearm at the time of the shooting, but witnesses say the teen was unarmed.

In a video shared on social media last month, content creator and activist Jolly Good Ginger gave an update on McMillan’s case. The post began with cellphone footage recorded at the scene of the Family Dollar immediately following the shooting. An eyewitness passionately told a police officer that the child was running away when another cop “shot him point blank.” Ginger then explained that the witness was upset after seeing an officer kill an unarmed teenager without cause. The video also contained a screenshot of a CNN article stating that Gulfport Police Chief Adam Cooper said McMillan “pointed a weapon” in the direction of the officers.

Ginger added that had Family Dollar made their security footage public, the case could have been resolved. However, the store gave the video to the police, who later released it after facing backlash, but the footage was altered. According to Ginger, since the store profits from the community affected by the shooting, McMillan’s mother, Katrina Mateen, is asking for a blackout during which shoppers boycott the business. A flyer shared online asked that Dollar Tree be boycotted as well since the same company owns the stores.

On Nov. 29, the Los Angeles Sentinel reported that a virtual meeting was held to spread awareness for McMillan’s case. The victim’s family was joined by KBLA media personality Danny Morrison, Black Lives Matter co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter Melina Abdullah, noted economist Dr. Julianne Malveaux, McMillan’s aunt Natasha Boyd and many others. The meeting discussed the boycott and attendees planned to share their concerns with city council members in Gulfport.