FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 10, 2022

CONTACT: media@colorofchange.org 

COLOR OF CHANGE: CHARGES IN PATRICK LYOYA CASE ARE A FIRST STEP IN ACCOUNTABILITY–– BUT IT’S TIME TO LOOK BEYOND POLICE FOR TRUE SAFETY 

Rashad Robinson, president of Color Of Change, issued the following statement following the charges in the murder of Patrick Lyoya: 

“Patrick Lyoya should be alive today, but this country’s violent policing system has failed him. The charges against officer Christopher Schurr are only an important first step towards accountability for this heinous crime. Yet in order to ensure communities like Grand Rapids are truly safe, we need to rethink public safety altogether. We call on policymakers to act swiftly to begin moving away from policing and towards embracing alternatives that could have prevented Mr. Lyoya’s murder from happening in the first place. We need investments in housing, education, mental health care, alternative first responders and violence interruption. 

“Black lives continue to be in danger every day that legislators and policymakers do not act. We call on lawmakers at every level of government to do their jobs to ensure that Black communities feel protected. Public safety measures must go beyond policing. Community-led alternatives are the only way to ensure that Black and brown people, those most harmed by state-sanctioned violence, are safe. Our communities know what we need to feel protected —  it is past time that lawmakers listen to us.” 

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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org