Jobs to Move America stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protesters demanding racial justice across the country.
We mourn the recent police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade and the murder of Ahmaud Arbery by white civilians. These murders were not isolated incidents, but the product of a violent system that is built on anti-Black racism and fueled by white supremacy.
We call for swift justice for George Floyd, and countless other Black lives taken by state-sanctioned violence. Hennepin County must charge and convict all four police officers responsible for George Floyd’s murder. But charging and convicting individuals is far from enough to dismantle systemic racism.
For far too long, we have divested from critical public goods and community services in Black communities, while pouring our public dollars into violent policing. Cities across the country are gearing up to slash municipal budgets amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but many are poised to make exceptions for police departments. This is not the solution. We cannot build healthy communities or a fair economy without racial justice. We need to divest from police departments and invest in Black communities—because Black Lives Matter.
Image: Johnny Silvercloud/Flickr