The murder of George Floyd was a watershed moment. It has re-energized an ongoing nationwide movement and given new life to an urgent conversation about the role of policing in communities. In particular, there is renewed attention to the violence and loss of life police have been inflicting on Black and Indigenous people and communities of color for decades.“Please I can’t breathe. … They’re going to kill me.”
George Floyd’s words before Minneapolis police officers killed him on May 25, 2020.
Washington State is certainly no exception. We must confront the question: what will it take to stop police violence and the taking of lives like those of George Floyd, Charleena Lyles, Tommy Le, Renee Davis, Antonio Zambrano, or Stonechild Chiefstick? These are the names of just a few of the many in Washington and throughout the country whose families grieve the loss of their loved ones at the hands of the police. As an organization, we have been reflecting on the fact that despite reform efforts that we along with many of our community partners and allies have fought for, the violence continues to this day.
This blog series explores one approach: divesting resources away from police functions that have their roots in white supremacy and fueled the devastating loss of beloved community members, and reinvesting in support of communities that have been harmed by police violence. Keep reading.
