Dear Friend --

We are living through a painful moment in our nation’s history. In the midst of a global health crisis that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities, the police continue to murder Black men and women with impunity – and in response to our outrage, our governments have enacted draconian measures to quash dissent.   

I am exhausted, angry, sad, and so much more. As a white woman, I know that I do not understand the pain that our Black siblings are feeling right now and I rededicate myself to taking my cues from our Black leaders in this moment and every moment moving forward.

Our fight for racial justice and against White supremacy and police brutality is not new. CLUE has fought against abuses of police power, protested racist policies like the Muslim Ban, and walks everyday with low-income people of color.

In this moment, we need to invest more time and capacity into this work. 

Police departments across this nation are overfunded and over-militarized. Our criminal justice system discriminates against Black and Brown bodies. Instead of protecting marginalized communities, our police departments too often use their power to exploit, abuse, and murder our Black neighbors.

These frameworks have been in place for centuries, which means that they are archaic and hideous, but they are also familiar. People of privilege have historically done everything they can to hold onto their place in power. 

This has to change. Now.

We must have the moral courage to re-envision our systems. 

Instead of funding the police, jails, and prisons, we need to fund education, job programs, community clinics, hospitals, and mental health services. We need restorative justice programs and rehabilitation programs, not an abusive and punitive carceral system that retraumatizes and causes more violence.

Police need to be the last option. 

We need to change hearts and minds. While many Americans are taking to the streets because they are outraged, there are still those in our communities and in our families who view Black and Brown bodies as less than. 

This is a time of courage and purpose. This is the time to stand up and say, “enough is enough.” No more murdering our Black siblings. No more mass incarceration of people of color. No more over-policing of our communities of color. 

No more violence. No more.

Last night in a news conference, Mayor Garcetti said that the city will look to cut $100  million to $150 million from the police budget to invest into the Black community. While this is progress, it is not enough when you consider that the LAPD’s budget is $1.86 billion. 

Now is the time to hold Mayor Garcetti accountable and demand that LA pass a budget that reflects the needs of its community.

Here’s what you can do right now. 

• Call and email Mayor Garcetti and your City Councilmember and demand that they pass the People’s Budget.
• Donate to the effort to pass the People’s Budget, here.
• Donate to bail funds, like this one from White People for Black Lives.

Michelle M. Seyler, J.D.

Executive Director
http://www.cluejustice.org/