Say His Name: Deputy Ricky Kinchen - A Response to the Washington Post by CBB Founder Craig Floyd

In a recently published letter to the editor, Citizens Behind the Badge Founder Craig W. Floyd calls out the Washington Post for omitting fallen Deputy Ricky Kinchen and wounded Deputy Aldranon English from its full-page obituary of their killer.

Deputy Sheriff Ricky Leon Kinchen

On Nov. 28, the Washington Post ran a full-page obituary for the "Black Power activist known as H. Rap Brown." The article noted that he was in prison at the time of his death for murdering a deputy, but made no mention of the deputy's name --Ricky Kinchen-- nor another deputy's name who was shot in the same incident --Aldranon English--. CBB founder Craig Floyd found that to be disgraceful. So, he penned a letter to the editor of The Washington Post on behalf of CBB and they printed it in today's edition of The Post.

One of our key roles here at Citizens Behind the Badge is to call the media out when they are disrespectful or inaccurate when reporting on law enforcement. This is just one example of the important work we do. The published letter is below.

Published in the Washington Post, December 5th, 2025:

Opinion
Letters to the Editor

Name these deputies

The Nov. 28 obituary “Black Power activist known as H. Rap Brown” said Jamil Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown) died in prison while serving time for murdering a sheriff’s deputy in 2000. Yet nowhere in the obituary was the name of the fallen officer, Fulton County (Georgia) Deputy Ricky Kinchen. There also was no mention of Deputy Aldranon English, who was shot in that same incident.

By omitting their names, the obituary erased the human cost of Al-Amin’s violence. Kinchen’s sacrifice deserves recognition equal to the notoriety of the man who killed him. And English’s survival and suffering should not be ignored. That they were not named was a disservice to The Post’s readers and to the victims’ families.

Kinchen’s life and service matter, and he should not be forgotten.

Craig W. Floyd, Alexandria, VA

The writer is founder and president of the nonprofit Citizens Behind the Badge.