A 19-year-old Black Lives Matter activist who disappeared last week after sending a series of tweets describing a sexual assault has been found dead in her native Tallahassee, Florida, police have confirmed. The activist, Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau was one of two women whose bodies were discovered. The other victim was identified as Victoria Sims, 75, an AARP volunteer.
On June 6, Salau posted a series of tweets saying that she had been molested by a man who offered her a ride. She shared his address and detailed him and his car. She vowed, “I will not be silent.” Following her thread, she stopped responding to replies and was reported missing. On June 12, USA Today reported that, according to the Tallahassee Police Department, she was still missing and last seen on the day of her tweet. On June 14, a friend of Salau’s tweeted that she was “no longer with us.”
She was a vocal Black Lives Matter activist and had been very involved in the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. “At the end of the day, I can’t take my fucking skin colour off,” she said in a video that circulated on Twitter. “I’m profiled whether I like it or not. You cannot take my fucking Blackness away from me. My Blackness is not for your fucking consumption.”
“Right now, our lives matter, black lives matter,” she continued. “We are doing this for our brothers and our sisters who got shot but we are doing this for every black person.”
After Tallahassee police discovered Salau’s body on June 13, many took to Twitter to demand justice.
The Change.org petition, which you can sign here, is a direct call to action from the Tallahassee Police Department, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Senator Janet Cruz. A GoFundMe account was also set up but has yet to be verified. We will update this story when it has been.
If you or someone you know needs help or advice, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. If you need help immediately, please call 000.
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