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On the Murder of George Floyd

June 1, 2020

The brutal murder of George Floyd was senseless and horrific, shocking the conscience of anyone who views the video. Our hearts are with his loved ones and with all people who know and fear brutality from those who take an oath to serve and protect. To our country’s great shame, acts of state violence continue to terrorize the Black community in Minneapolis and across the country.

The Battered Women’s Justice Project stands with all those who have endured violence and oppression. Today, BWJP feels even more keenly our responsibility to address racism in the justice system and demand changes that will end police violence in our own community and across this country.

While the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has taken Derek Chauvin into custody and charged him with murder, we await accountability for the three other officers who stood by and failed to intervene while Chauvin murdered Floyd. BWJP is deeply concerned by how deeply racism is institutionalized in our legal systems, including law enforcement. We recognize that our legal systems deliver justice for too few, and violence for too many. The longstanding call for change that enables our community to effectively confront police violence must be answered.

Furthermore, a history of systemic racism has resulted in striking economic, educational, and health disparities in our city—these forms of violence against the Black community must also be confronted. BWJP pledges to act in solidarity with communities and organizations of color to effect the changes necessary to end racism. If we wish to honor the life of George Floyd and the lives of all the men, women, and children taken from their loved ones at the hands of law enforcement, we must ensure that their children grow up in a safe and better world.

In sorrow and solidarity,

BWJP Staff