For Immediate Release October 22, 2014
Contacts:
Kayla Keller, kayla@fitzgibbonmedia.com, 281.682.6212
Madison Donzis, madison@fitzgibonnedmia.com, 210.488.6220
www.NationalPolicingReforms.org
www.UnitedForFerguson.com
Washington D.C. — Today, a coalition of 11 progressive and civil rights organization including ColorofChange.org, Democracy for America, MomsRising, Daily Kos and many more are set to deliver 120,000 signatures to the White House, Department of Justice, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security demanding concrete reforms to address the nationwide policing crisis in our country. These demands were developed in coordination with local organizations working to end discriminatory and abusive policing, academics, as well as policing and legal experts. The delivery also stands in solidarity with various actions happening across the country today on the National Day Against Police Brutality.
Reforms include an executive order from President Obama with a strong and enforceable ban on police brutality and discrimination, DOJ investigations of biased and violent policing in every state of the country, a comprehensive database on police killings and use of force, with privacy protections and deportation immunity, and the defunding of federal programs that incentive militarized and abusive policing.
“The coalition recognizes the important steps the Department of Justice and White house have taken since Mike Brown was killed, but now calling for bold vision and deliberate action to shift the policies, police culture, and lack of accountability and oversight that led to his death,” said ColorOfChange Executive Director, Rashad Robinson. “Discriminatory, violent, and militarized policing is a nationwide civil and human rights crisis. In the face of this crisis, we have called on our national leaders to do more and we now come with clear and tangible reforms to move forward.
“Police brutality violates trust between law enforcement and the public, making it harder for police to do their jobs or create the kind of partnerships effective at keeping communities safe while respecting the safety and dignity of all people,” continued Robinson. “With increased focus on the very real violence and abusive policing targeting Black and brown youth every day, we demand more than conversation or commissions, but real leadership to enact structural change to our criminal justice system.”
The coalition continues to demand full accountability and justice for the police killing of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Ramarley Graham, and so many others across the country. They are calling on President Obama and the federal agencies to take definite action to address the national epidemic of discriminatory and violent policing.
Quotes from petition delivery partners:
“These reforms will help address a long history of discriminatory policing in America — and build better relationships between police and community members in neighborhoods across America. Those positive relationships are essential to protecting public safety and reducing crime. It’s time we delivered lasting justice for everyone in America.” – Robert Cruickshank, Senior Campaign Manager, Democracy for America
“The disturbing trend of excessive, and often fatal, policing around the country illustrates the system is broken,” said Rachel Colyer, Senior Campaign Director at Daily Kos. “The Executive branch can, and should, move quickly to reform the system before more lives are lost. The following proposed reforms would be much needed step on a long journey to address systemic discrimination, begin the demilitarization of police forces nationwide, and start rebuilding the trust that has been lost.”
“Racial profiling and police brutality are epidemic in our country and it is long past time that we do something on the federal level to end this madness,” said MomsRising Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “No mother should ever have to fear that her children could be harmed, much less killed, by the law enforcement officers who have sworn to protect them. But it happens every day. As an organization representing more than a million mothers, fathers, grandparents and others across the country, we’re proud to stand with Color of Change as we call on the federal government, including the Department of Justice and Congress to take comprehensive steps to protect the civil rights of all Americans.”
“After the tragic killing of Mike Brown and due in no small part to the hard work of organizers across the country, we are seeing more attention paid to our country’s long and often deadly history of excessive policing targeting people of color. Change is long overdue. The executive branch of our federal government can begin by taking concrete steps to demilitarize our police forces and to end discriminatory and abusive policing,” says Sarah Arnold, Activism Campaign Manager at The Nation.
“For someone like me — a middle-aged white man who has never worried for a moment that my 23 year old son might get shot by a police officer — the hard reality of racialized policing in America is abstract. For the parents of young black men, it is anything but. We need to take steps to reform the disparate police treatment of young black men. These steps are not mysterious. They do not require Congressional approval. They can and should be done now.” Dan Cantor, National Director, Working Families.
Additional coalition partners include the Advancement Project, Center for Popular Democracy, Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, RH Reality Check, and RootsAction.
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With over 900,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest online civil rights organization.