Maia Nehme, Contributing Photographer

On the 28th anniversary of Malik Jones’s death at the hands of an East Haven police officer, a crowd of community members joined Malik’s mother, Emma Jones, to commemorate her son and inspire continued advocacy for justice.

On April 14, 1997, 21-year-old Malik Jones was shot and killed by an East Haven police officer at close range after the officer pursued Malik’s car, and Jones did not pull over. In the years following Malik’s death, Emma Jones sued the town of East Haven and embarked on years of advocacy work and demonstrations against police misconduct. Among the fruits of her efforts was the 2020 revamping of New Haven’s Civilian Review Board.

At the Monday evening gathering, located at the corner where Malik was killed, Jones unveiled plans to purchase a small plot of land at that intersection to house the Malik Jones Social Justice Organization.

“This is going to be the future home of nothing but pure joy for the community,” Jones said. “It’s going to be the opportunity for people to come and to learn some things about what happened here on that particularly awful day … We are not here to talk about all of the specifics around what we’re going to do, but we are definitely kicking off, starting today, a fundraiser to purchase this property.”

A banner hung on the fence separating the sidewalk from the vacant lot behind Jones as she addressed the dozens gathered. The banner featured a projected image of the organization’s prospective building and advertised the organization’s website, calling on passersby to support the cause.

According to Jones’ website, the organization, also called the M.A.L.I.K Organization, aims to create a community space to honor stories of fighting for justice in the face of adversity, as well as offer “essential resources and support to those in need.” At the gathering, Jones acknowledged that she has not yet figured out the organization’s title acronym.

“Never before in the history of police brutality in America has a mother had the opportunity to purchase the property where her son was killed by law enforcement and transform it into a space that supports, acknowledges, and empowers families and community members who have endured similar tragedies,” the site reads.

A handful of Jones’s friends and family also spoke at Monday’s event, sharing anecdotes and poems about Malik. Reggie Hoffler, a longtime friend of Jones who said he had attended the annual memorial for the past two decades, emphasized the diversity and youth of the crowd.

Cars and motorcycles whizzed by, frequently honking their horns and revving their engines in support of Malik.

In October, the Board of Alders voted to rename the corner of Grand Avenue and Murphy Drive, where Malik Jones was killed, the “Emma Jones Justice for Malik Corner.”