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Today, we honor the life of George Floyd and the countless people harmed or killed by police.
One year ago today, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on a Minneapolis street in broad daylight. The video footage of this murder shocked and galvanized the world. But for so many Black communities, this murder was just another stark reminder of the daily realities of police violence.
In the last year, millions of people across the country have taken to the street and taken action online to demand an end to police violence and to fundamentally challenge the systems of policing that perpetuate this violence.
We know that the anti-Blackness exemplified by George Floyd’s murder endangers lives every day. We know that anti-Blackness is enshrined in our country’s systems of policing—and has been since this country’s racist origins—and that’s why public safety must be fundamentally reimagined and transformed.
Today, in too many cities and towns across the country, more resources are invested in violent policing than in programs and services that help keep our communities safe. As just one example, New York City spends more on policing and corrections than on homeless services, the Department of Health, Housing Preservation and Development, youth and community development, and workforce investment—combined.1 We know that if our political leaders would re-invest those billions of dollars into social services, our communities would be exponentially safer.
Over the last year, MoveOn members have consistently shown up to push for vital change.
Thanks to the efforts of organizers and activists like yourself, we’re closer to real police accountability than we ever have been—but we can’t let up now. Here are a few more ways that you can get involved during this critical time:
- Our friends at Color of Change are hosting a week of action this week to commemorate one year of protests and uprisings against police violence. Check it out here, and be sure to get involved.
- Donate to the Yes 4 Minneapolis campaign, which is a Minneapolis ballot measure to revise the city’s charter so that the Minneapolis City Council can disband the city’s police department and reorganize it as a Department of Public Safety.
- Sign this petition calling for the Minnesota Legislature to pass legislation that puts more checks on police across the state.
- Sign this petition calling for the removal of a Rochester, NY police union leader after he defended the pepper-spraying of a 9-year-old Black girl.
- Read about the BREATHE Act, a bill sponsored by Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, that invests in a new vision of public safety. Contact your member of Congress and tell them to support the BREATHE Act today!
It’s been one year since George Floyd was taken from his family and his community. Our work is just beginning. Together, we will keep working until we truly achieve justice and safety for all of our communities.
Source:
1. “#NYCBUDGETJUSTICE CAMPAIGN’S CALL IS FOR THE $1B TO BE CUT IN FY21,” Communities United for Police Reform, accessed May 24, 2021
https://www.changethenypd.org/nycbudgetjustice
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