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| Dear Friend, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor should be alive today. Instead, they are being mourned as two of the most recent Black victims ruthlessly killed by the police. As mass protests gather strength across the country in response to police violence and systematic racism, we share the grief, outrage, and demand for accountability and justice. Join us in calling on Congress to take immediate action to stop fatal police killings and violence. There is no excuse for these unconscionable deaths. Yet time and time again, drugs are used as a justification to target, harass, assault and kill Black people by law enforcement. George Floyd drew his last breath after one police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes and another taunted ‘don’t do drugs, kids’ to the gathered crowd. Breonna Taylor was shot to death in her own bed by Louisville Police in what was a baseless warrant in a drug investigation. Countless other lives have been lost. All too often drugs have been used as an excuse for police brutality – but ultimately, racism is at the root of these horrific tragedies. The war on drugs has always been a tool of racial oppression. The very first drug laws were targeted at communities of color. While everyone suffers under drug laws, they are at their most vicious and deadly when used as originally intended – against people of color, and particularly Black people. It’s because of the drug war that perceived drug possession and drug use served as a justification by law enforcement to kill George Floyd. It’s because of the drug war that we have police forces with the money for military-grade weapons and SWAT training that killed Breonna Taylor. And it’s because of the drug war that there is funding for the militarized police currently being deployed in our communities. DPA will continue fighting to abolish the drug war funding that fuels the militarization of law enforcement. We will continue fighting to remove drug involvement as a cover for disregarding the dignity and sanctity of human life. We will continue to challenge policing practices and hold these institutions accountable. It’s beyond time for federal action: tell Congress that we need police reform right now. Ending the drug war is only one piece of dismantling the systemic racism that persists in American society. The heinous killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and too many others are painful reminders of the rampant racism and policing practices that put Black people’s lives in danger every day. As we work to end the racist drug war, we stand in solidarity with those demanding justice for Black lives and an end to police violence, white supremacy, and racism across the nation.
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