John,
We wish that we were writing to you about something different…but as we know, white supremacy doesn't sleep. And we know that state-sanctioned, vigilante violence will not end until we transform our current system of public safety for the better.
Leonard Cure was a Black man who spent more than 16 years of his life in prison – for a crime he didn't commit. It wasn't until 2020 that he was exonerated and released.
At just 53 years old, he was enjoying his life of freedom – a life that was rightfully his for so long.
And yet, the same white supremacist system that wrongfully threw him in jail also wrongfully took his life on Monday, October 16th.
On Monday, a sheriff's deputy in Georgia shot and killed Leonard for allegedly speeding. He was driving back home after visiting his mother in South Florida.
We've said it so many times before:
Traffic stops should not be deadly.
If we invest in community approaches to public safety, like having unarmed, trained professionals assist first in traffic incidents, we could avoid the loss of too many Black people at the hands of racist policing. Chip in to help fuel our efforts of working toward altering our current state of public safety for the better >>
Why is it the status quo that police officers with war weapons and a tradition of anti-Black violence are necessary for simple traffic encounters?
10% of police killings start with traffic encounters, and police violence is only increasing. And just last year alone was the deadliest year for police violence since tracking began in 2013. That means that until we defund the police and remove all cops from traffic-related incidents, they will keep abusing their power and continue to harm Black people everywhere.
For far too many Black people, the odds of us safely making it home after being pulled over by police officers feel too close to none.
If you believe that we need community-based policies to remove armed police officers from traffic-related incidents, chip in now.
Leonard's life mattered. He was loved by his family and friends and known as smart, funny, and kind. He even dedicated his life to justice when he was released, often training state prosecutors to help ensure fairness and equity in all cases despite his own circumstances. He was buying his first home, planning to go to college, and had dreams of working in broadcast radio production – all of this before he was murdered by a sheriff's deputy in Georgia.
Say his name: Leonard Cure.
In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter Rapid Response Team
