FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

CJ Frogozo, cj@fitzgibbonmedia.com, 310.570.2622

Kayla Keller, kayla@fitzgibbonmedia.com, 281.682.6212

**VIEW PETITION HERE: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/mike_brown/**

Washington, DC– ColorOfChange.org along with a large coalition including Missouri State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, CREDO, the Organization for Black Struggle, MoveOn, Ultraviolet, and others gathered along with hundreds of demonstrators in front of the White House to deliver nearly 950,000 signatures calling on the Department of Justice to fully investigate, prosecute, and fire all police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. The police killing of 18-year-old Brown exemplifies the national crisis of violent, discriminatory policing practices by law enforcement that targets and profiles black communities.

Nearly 950,000 people signed onto the campaign calling on President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to ensure justice for Michael Brown, and to do everything in their power to reform policing policies and practices nationwide.

See the petition here: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/mike_brown/

**Photos available upon request**

Below, find statements from groups who organized the event:

Statement from Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorofChange.org: “We are here today in front of the White House because ordinary people in Ferguson immediately responded to the murder of Mike Brown with collective action. President Obama and US Attorney General Eric Holder have taken a number of important steps in response to the tragic police killing of 18-year-old Mike Brown, and the outrageous militarized police violence that followed. The nation needs more, and we expect federal officials to show the leadership necessary to stop policies and resources that create and incentivize police brutality.

“Racially-motivated police abuse is a national crisis threatening the safety and civil rights of Black youth and adults on a daily basis, which calls for definitive federal intervention and a shift in federal policy. The level of engagement and responsiveness that the administration and the Department of Justice have shown in Ferguson is required in hundreds of cities across the country. There are life and death consequences for how the administration acts or does not act and we cannot wait for another Mike Brown incident to occur. “

Statement from Jamala Rogers, Ferguson resident and Organization for Black Struggle representative: “There’s no need to over-analyze why Michael Brown’s death has rocked this country from coast to coast. The shooting death of the black, unarmed teen by a white Ferguson police officer on August 9, 2014 was one too many. We knew that Mike’s death struck a deep chord in the souls of people when 40,000 signatures were collected in the first 24 hours of the online petition. And now, the Organization for Black Struggle stands in solidarity with ColorOfChange to deliver the power of more than 900,000 voices to President Obama.

“What we want is for the White House to clearly understand that our communities are not only hurting, but crying out for justice, for real accountability. The police murders of black and brown people continue to go unpunished by a broken judicial system that protects a racist police culture. The St. Louis justice-seeking community is saying ‘Enough is enough. Black life matters!’”

Statement from Becky Bond, Political Director of CREDO: “Every day, African Americans face possible abuse and death at the hands of local police officers due to discriminatory policing tactics based on dehumanizing racial stereotypes,” said Becky Bond, CREDO’s Political Director.

“We’re counting on President Obama and his Attorney General Eric Holder to take decisive federal action and show that in America, Black lives must matter.”

Statement from George Goehl, Executive Director of National People’s Action: “The killing of Michael Brown was heartbreaking, and it was not a unique or isolated incident. It was one of too many examples of police violence against people of color, resulting from a criminal justice system that targets people of color and an economy that structurally excludes them. We can’t just ascribe these police killings of unarmed Black men to a few bad officers, because the Department of Justice continually fails to hold them accountable.”

Statement from Heather McGhee, President of DEMOS: “Ours is a nation of ancestral strangers who have yet to overcome our inheritance of state-sanctioned violence and a hierarchy that dehumanizes people of color. When a government does not represent its people—and worse yet, when government actions allow us to question whether officials believe their community members are truly people at all—we have no demos, and therefore no democracy.

“There is nothing more American than a community uniting in the face of tragedy, than ordinary people organizing to peacefully protest injustice. The police reaction—to protests of their own violence—has been more violence, less transparency, and an active suppression of first amendment freedoms. The police and government of Ferguson must be held accountable, and we call on the Department of Justice to take immediate action.”

Statement from Nita Chaudhary, UltraViolet Co-Founder: “Across the country, people are demanding justice, Justice for the people of Ferguson who have been subjected to police brutality, for Michael Brown, for his family, and for every person of color targeted and profiled by police and the justice system solely on the basis of the color of their skin,” added Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet. “The time for action is now.”

Statement from Anna Galland, Executive Director of MoveOn.org: “We are heartbroken and angered by police violence against young people of color and demand a fair and impartial investigation into the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. In the wake of this tragedy, MoveOn members are standing up for justice for Michael Brown, joining with ColorOfChange.org and with MoveOn member and Missouri state Senator Jamilah Nasheed. 250,000 MoveOn members have spoken clearly to demand real accountability for those responsible for Michael Brown’s death and push to ensure our criminal justice system protects communities of color and treats all people fairly.”

Statement from Shaun King, Activist and Author: “The good people of our nation are at a tipping point when it comes to police violence and misconduct. The great news is that smart bipartisan solutions are available and within our reach. We have come together to let the elected leaders of our nation know that we will not sit idly by while unarmed men and women die at the hands of those we pay to protect us.”

Statement from Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director, Democracy for America: “In the weeks since Mike Brown was killed, it has become clear that policing in America requires fundamental change in order to protect and serve the people of this country. We urge President Obama and Attorney General Holder to not stop with the pursuit of justice in Ferguson, but to use the power of the federal government to seek justice for all those wrongly killed, and to begin demilitarizing local police so they can instead build stronger ties with the communities they serve.”

Statement from Dan Cantor, Working Families National Director: “Until the deaths of black mothers’ sons are as important as the deaths of white mothers’ sons, we are not realizing the promise of America.”

Statement from Executive Director and CEO of MomsRising.org, Kristin Rowe Finkbeiner: “No one should have to fear a child could come to harm at the hands of the police who have sworn to protect them. But now, as parents around the country send their children off to college, Michael Brown’s family is mourning their son’s tragic and untimely death. Moms and their families across America are brokenhearted and stunned, and together we cannot stand by while such brutality and violence goes without investigation, prosecution or justice.

“Freedom from racial violence is every person’s right, and the racially-motivated killing of Michael Brown is a shocking reminder that police violence against people of color remains a serious and deadly problem in our nation. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice must vigorously investigate and prosecute the officers involved in this senseless and tragic murder.”

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