ACLU Supporter –

As cities around the country end a full week of protests, we are reminded that the painful moments that have driven so many of us to the streets right now are familiar ground.

The racist violence of law enforcement, the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, David McAtee, and countless other Black people in recent years: It is all deeply rooted in the racism that has existed in our police and criminal legal systems since their origins centuries ago.

More must be done. Despite decades of tireless work by so many in the ACLU to address police violence in communities of color, there's a fundamental truth that we must confront: It has not worked. Black people continue to be murdered and brutalized by police with near impunity, and it's on all of us to end this indefensible cycle.

We need to address what is wrong with modern policing today and start to repair the decades of harm and violence it has inflicted on overpoliced communities of color.

What must come next is a bold reimagining of the role police play in our society. The ACLU is committed to working with groups like the Movement for Black Lives who have been leading the call for reimagining racist law enforcement and reinvesting in Black and Brown communities.

Grassroots supporters like you will be key to what we accomplish. Please add your name in support of this vision, and we'll send you crucial ways you can help to further its goals.

Law enforcement – with origins tracing back to slave patrols – was designed from inception to protect power and privilege by exerting social control over Black people. And spending on this historically-racist institution dramatically outpaces expenditures for community-based services aimed at helping Black and Brown communities. Current police budgets collectively total more than $115 billion per year, sometimes making up 40% of a city's budget.

We are committed to this work for the long term – supporting Black- and Brown-led community organizations in implementing measures most impactful to ending racist police violence in this country.

The lived reality that white people already enjoy and take for granted is what we must demand for all our communities: an end to over-policing, an end to constant surveillance and harassment, an end to enforcement of non-serious offenses, and an end to the targeting of Black and Brown people.

The health and wellbeing of our society depends on this urgent vision, as do the values we have subscribed to as a nation. If you believe in this fight, join us: Add your name today.

Thank you for taking action,

Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director, ACLU

P.S. Our work ahead will be difficult, but necessary as we push for a fundamental change in our country's policing system. Please read more on this vision here and remember to add your name in support today.