This is I Fear You, Babe. Before we talk about how Rekia Boyd died, we talk about how she lived.

Rekia Boyd was twenty two years old. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a Black woman standing with her friends in her own city on an ordinary night.

In March of 2012, Rekia was shot and killed by an off duty Chicago police officer. She was unarmed. The officer was never convicted. Her case ended not with accountability, but with a legal technicality that exposed how easily justice can be mischarged, misdirected, and ultimately denied.

This episode examines what happened the night Rekia Boyd was killed, how the legal system responded, and why her death did not receive the attention it deserved. This is not a story about a single decision. It is about systems of protection, prosecutorial failure, and whose lives are treated as disposable.

Rekia Boyd — References & Sources

Primary Reporting & Context

• Rekia Boyd Foundation (family and advocacy) — official site
  https://rekiaboydfoundation.org
  
  
• Chicago Tribune — Coverage of the shooting and trial
  https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/chi-chicago-police-officer-cleared-in-rekia-boyd-shooting-20150715-story.html
  
  
• ABC7 Chicago — Article on Rekia Boyd case and aftermath
  https://abc7chicago.com/rekia-boyd-shooting-dante-servin-chicago/1501854/
  
  
• CNN — Reporting on the judge’s ruling and community response
  https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/15/us/chicago-rekia-boyd-officer-acquitted/index.html
  
  

Legal & Court Details

• Chicago Sun-Times — Analysis of the legal decision and involuntary manslaughter issues
  https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2015/7/15/18448752/cook-county-judge-acquits-former-cpd-officer-dante-servin-in-rekia-boyd-killing
  
  
• South Side Weekly — Breakdown of legal arguments and community impact
  https://southsideweekly.com/rekia-boyd-acquittal-police-accountability/
  
  

Police Violence & Racial Justice Context

• Mapping Police Violence — Database of police killings (nationwide data)
  https://mappingpoliceviolence.org
  
  
• Black Women’s Blueprint — Report on Black women and state violence
  https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org
  
  
• Center for Constitutional Rights — Racial justice resources and case archives
  https://ccrjustice.org
  
  

Historical & Social Context

• NAACP — Police Reform and Accountability Resources
  https://www.naacp.org/issues/criminal-justice-reform
  
  
• ACLU — Civil liberties and police violence overview
  https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police

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