For Immediate Release
Contact: Kayla Keller, kayla@fitzgibbonmedia.com, 281-682-6212
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Renisha McBride. Today is a day to remember Renisha and honor her life, and to renew our commitment to stopping violence against black women and youth,” said Robinson. “Too often in recent years, we have seen young Black women and men murdered with limited accountability for those responsible. Today’s guilty verdict is an important step forward in ensuring that our criminal justice system values the lives of Black victims of violence and racial profiling. While nothing can bring Renisha back or truly achieve justice for her, we are grateful that the court has held her killer accountable.
“No parent should have to fear that their child will be gunned down because someone assumes they are a dangerous criminal based on the color of their skin. Sadly, murderers are less likely to be held fully accountable for their actions when the victim is black, and policies like ‘shoot first’ have worsened this culture of impunity. If we want to honor Renisha McBride’s memory, we must do everything we can to transform our system into one that values black lives equally to all others.”
More than 44,000 members of ColorOfChange.org took action to call attention to Renisha McBride’s case and change policies like “shoot first” which put black youth at risk of vigilante violence.