May 26, 2022
Today, we honor the memory of George Floyd, who was murdered on May 25, 2020, by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin while three officers failed to intervene. This solemn anniversary falls at a time when our nation is reeling after the recent violence in Buffalo, NY, Laguna Woods, CA, and Uvalde, TX. Our hearts go out to all the victims and their families and everyone who has lost loved ones to this epidemic of gun violence.
Mr. Floyd’s murder energized an international movement demanding an end to police violence and empowered an ongoing effort to reimagine public safety. The landscape of policing is slowly changing, with important progress earned through the hard-fought advocacy of grassroots organizations, impacted families, and communities across the nation. This includes the Executive Order signed by President Biden that advanced a number of law enforcement accountability measures alongside broader actions intended to address deficiencies in our public safety system.
Please watch this video about George Floyd and the need for police accountability.
But much work remains. Today’s Executive Order is necessary because of the failure of the United States Senate to advance meaningful legislation to address police accountability and transform public safety.
We commend President Biden for helping to fill this void of leadership in the Senate by using his executive powers. We also commend the many advocates, protesters, activists, and families of victims of police violence whose unrelenting demand for change compelled this action. Much more can and must be done at the federal, state, and local levels to enact needed measures of accountability and advance equitable systems of safety, particularly in Black and Brown communities that are underserved and over-policed.
We must continue using every tool at our disposal to permanently change our public safety systems so that communities of color no longer fear encountering the police.
On this day, we honor George Floyd’s life; we reflect on the change he catalyzed across the nation; and we recommit ourselves to the continued struggle to end police violence and bring racial justice to our communities.
