A Moment for Change and Justice
Breonna Taylor was a beautiful young woman, whose life was tragically taken away. This is enough to cry out for justice. All life is precious and valuable and our laws must reflect this core human principle. Yet when the very laws that are meant to protect society are used to justify the tragic loss of life that has occurred, how can anyone feel safe? The decision to avoid prosecution of all the officers involved signals to the rest of society that only those who are of a certain status and privilege can truly benefit from the laws of our nation.
One only has to look at the people who are arrested or thrown into prison to comprehend this reality. Black people are five times more likely to be stopped by police than white people. One out of three Black boys are likely to be in prison one day [i]. In 2020, despite making up only 13% of the population, 28% of people who were killed by the police were Black [ii].
These people include Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade and countless others.
As in the case of Breonna Taylor, too often we hear that the officers acted in self-defense. This is an argument heard time and again when officers kill someone. When a group of heavily armed individuals chooses to raid a home in the middle of the night, how can this be self-defense? How many times will officers be immune to the consequences of exterminating someone’s life? How many times will we hear that this is part of their job?
The laws designed to uphold order in society have oppressed Black and Brown people long enough. When a system locks up mostly Black poor people, effectively labelling them criminals for the rest of their lives, giving them limited opportunities to have a decent home or job, that system is not just. When this same system excuses police officers for the gross injustices that they carry out, then this system has to be changed. When our laws fail us, new laws and a new system must be put in place.
We all play a part in changing the system and you can help by supporting policies such as the GAPA ordinance. We demand civilian oversight of the police and greater accountability to our communities. We cannot wait for more tragedy to drive us into action. Use this moment in time to act and create a system that upholds the value and dignity of Black lives. Use this link to email your aldermen and have them stand up for police accountability.
In Solidarity,
Sarah Yousuf
Associate Director of City and County Policy
Community Renewal Society
[i] https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/
[ii] https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/