Justice For All Statement On Police Killings Of George Floyd

Justice For All stands with the Black community in rage against the cruel and unjust killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minnesota. As we struggle to bring light to injustice around the globe, we must stand against the dark use of state power in our country, the United States of America.

The ongoing cases of police brutality and killings, where every case should matter and not just those that get media coverage, need policy and systematic changes. The recent killings of Breonna Taylor, while she slept in her home, is another egregious example of policing gone atrociously wrong.

Police killed 1,099 people in 2019. Black people were 24% of those killed despite being only 13% of the population. According to Mapping Police Violence, 99 percent of killings from 2013-2019 have not resulted in officers being charged with a crime.

There are solutions that work in countries across the world. Police use of force policies currently lack basic projections against police violence. Until alternative such as community policing options can be viably implemented we urge police departments to use the model use of force policy developed by Campaign Zero and Use of Force Project. The policy includes evidence-informed restrictions on police use of force that are designed to significantly reduce police violence in communities. It should be adopted by police chiefs and local elected officials without delay.

Black residents of the United States should not have to fear for their lives while running, driving, or sleeping in their homes.