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COLOR OF CHANGE: CONVICTIONS OF FORMER POLICE OFFICERS FOR THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD MARKS ANOTHER IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD ACCOUNTABILITY 

For Immediate Release: February 24, 2022 Contact: media@colorofchange.org COLOR OF CHANGE: CONVICTIONS OF FORMER POLICE OFFICERS FOR THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD MARKS ANOTHER IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD ACCOUNTABILITY  Rashad Robinson, President of Color Of Change, issued the following statement after a Hennepin County jury found former Minneapolis police officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander […]

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Racial Justice Advocates Hope for Pardon of George Floyd’s Past Drug Charges

Criminal justice reform experts are hopeful that if Texas governor Greg Abbott approves a pardon request for George Floyd’s decades old drug charges, it will send a message about the prejudices of a system that disproportionately incarcerates Black and Latino people. At the murder trial, Derek Chauvin’s defense lawyers tried to portray Floyd’s history of drug use as the cause of his death or a justification for the violence inflicted upon him — a common tactic in police defenses. Color Of Change’s Sr Director of Criminal Justice Campaigns Scott Roberts is quoted. “Like many other Black people who are killed by police, George Floyd’s character was tarnished by rightwing media, who used his past conviction record as a way to indict him for his own murder.” Floyd’s 2004 arrest and conviction have come under scrutiny as the undercover officer involved has himself been charged with murder and drug trafficking in Houston. “It will hopefully bring more attention and scrutiny to the miscarriages of justice that play out daily in our communities, police stations, and court rooms.”

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On Anniversary Of George Floyd’s Murder, Activists Push to Divest Police Funding

A year after George Floyd’s death, activists report the fight for racial justice is far from over. Scott Roberts, senior director of criminal justice at Color of Change, reminds us Floyd was ultimately killed because police were called over an alleged counterfeit $20 bill. “We have over-invested in policing as a solution. There are better alternatives to address violence and crime in our communities.” Since the police killings of Rayshard Brooks and Daniel Prude, Color Of Change has been working in Minneapolis and Rochester to reorganize city priorities, decrease police budgets, and reallocate funds to alternative programs. He says, “Our job is to take that energy from protest movements, direct it into the campaigns for systemic change. Obviously, we still have a long way to go… outrage alone is not going to change policing.”

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George Floyd’s Death Was a Wake-up Call for Corporate America. Here’s What Has — and Hasn’t — Changed.

One year after uprisings for racial justice, Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson is interviewed about whether business leaders’ commitment to Black people and social justice is standing the test of time. “Change was never going to happen overnight. So many of the corporations that spoke up have deep systemic challenges that can’t be solved with a tweet, a statement, a diversity committee.” Floyd’s murder changed Black Lives Matter from a controversial movement to a corporate mantra virtually overnight. Fortune 1000 companies poured billions of dollars into programs designed to address racism and hit new benchmarks on diversity. But it’ll take more than a year of funding to rectify racial wealth disparities in the US.

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COLOR OF CHANGE AND THE INNOCENCE PROJECT OF TEXAS CALL FOR POSTHUMOUS PARDON FOR GEORGE FLOYD ONE YEAR AFTER HISTORIC PROTESTS

For Immediate Release: May 25, 2021 Contact: media@colorofchange.org   COLOR OF CHANGE AND THE INNOCENCE PROJECT OF TEXAS CALL FOR POSTHUMOUS PARDON FOR GEORGE FLOYD ONE YEAR AFTER HISTORIC PROTESTS Today, Color Of Change and The Innocence Project of Texas jointly launched an online petition  calling on Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Board […]

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THE ROOT: Until Justice Is Real: What’s Next After Chauvin Was Found Guilty of Murdering George Floyd

Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson writes for The Root about the mixed emotions Black people feel over the guilty verdict against Derek Chauvin. On one hand, we feel tremendous relief for George Floyd’s family. On the other, “We must ask ourselves: what is actual justice? How do we achieve it? There are three important tests that tell us if we’re truly on the path to making justice and accountability the norm, and we haven’t hit any of them yet.” Original article at https://bit.ly/3ilhrKK

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COLOR OF CHANGE: DOJ PROBE INTO MINNEAPOLIS PD IS A SMALL STEP TOWARDS JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD

For Immediate Release April 21, 2021  Contact: media@colorofchange.org   COLOR OF CHANGE: DOJ PROBE INTO MINNEAPOLIS PD IS A SMALL STEP TOWARDS JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD NEW YORK—Scott Roberts, Senior Director of Criminal Justice Campaigns at Color Of Change, issued the following statement in response to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s announcement that the Department of […]

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The Death of George Floyd Reignited a Movement. What Happens Now?

Last summer, calls for racial justice penetrated every aspect of America on a scale not seen since the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Derek Chauvin’s conviction on two counts of murder earlier this month brought solace to activists. But for many Black Americans, real change feels elusive, as killings of Black men by police have continued. Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson puts the verdict in perspective. “We will forever look back at this moment in American history. George Floyd’s death created a new energy around making changes, though it’s not clear how lasting they will be. His death pushed racial justice to the forefront…. But we must remember this is about making Chauvin accountable and making systemic changes.”

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COLOR OF CHANGE: MINNEAPOLIS JURORS, SPECTATORS MUST REMEMBER THAT DEREK CHAUVIN IS ON TRIAL — NOT GEORGE FLOYD

For Immediate Release: March 29, 2021 Contact: media@colorofchange.org   COLOR OF CHANGE: MINNEAPOLIS JURORS, SPECTATORS MUST REMEMBER THAT DEREK CHAUVIN IS ON TRIAL — NOT GEORGE FLOYD Rashad Robinson, President of Color Of Change, issued this statement as witness testimony begins in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George […]

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George Floyd’s Killing Started a Movement. 9 Months Later, What’s Changed?

George Floyd’s legacy will determine which America the next generation grows up in: one where record numbers of voters elect a Black woman to the White House or one where Breonna Taylor’s killer doesn’t face trial, but the officer who shot her neighbors’ wall does. As jury selection begins for the trial of Derek Chauvin, the House is set to vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It would ban chokeholds, end racial and religious profiling, eliminate qualified immunity for cops and mandate data collection on police encounters. Erika Maye, Color Of Change’s Deputy Dir. of Criminal Justice says, “It was really heartbreaking to see just how little progress was made to the point where a police officer could kneel on someone for almost 9 minutes, with people videotaping—and they could see folks filming them, with the whole world watching and not care.”

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Police Surveilled George Floyd Protests with Help from Twitter-Affiliated Startup

Dataminr helped law enforcement monitor the protests that swept the country after the killing of George Floyd, tipping police off to social media posts with the latest whereabouts and actions of demonstrators. COC Sr. Campaign Director Brandi Collins-Dexter says, “We know that law enforcement agencies spend a breathtaking amount of money to aggressively track, target, and surveil Black communities. Twitter can’t have it both ways, courting Black activists and marketing themselves as the preeminent tool for organizing against injustice, while turning a blind eye to companies contracting with them for surveillance.”

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