Hi John,

In the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the protests those injustices at the hands of law enforcement sparked here in our state and nationwide, the Maine Democratic Party adopted a resolution condemning police brutality and systemic racism and calling for action to end these systems of oppression.

We wanted to share that resolution with you today, while acknowledging that this resolution is a first measure in our efforts to support the fight against injustice and the communities who have been doing this work for generations:

Maine Democratic Party Resolution on Police Brutality

Whereas the system of policing in America both historically and at present includes systemic targeting and use of deadly and brutal force against people of color, particularly Black people, resulting in people of color being killed by police at disproportionately higher rates than their White peers;

Whereas police in the United States kill far more people than police in other comparable nations and have been historically shielded from accountability;

Whereas contemporary policing for low-level offenses, as well as expanded and excessively militarized policing, has led to mass criminalization and mass incarceration that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown people, as well as other marginalized communities;

Whereas data shows there is a direct correlation between the increased militarization of a police department and corresponding levels of police brutality;

Whereas police brutality and the use of excessive force robs countless communities of precious lives, inflicts inter-generational trauma to families, and are intensifying our nation’s mental health crisis;  

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, that the Maine Democratic Party

(1) condemns all acts of brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive force by law enforcement officers;

(2) supports strengthening efforts to eliminate excessive use of force and hold individual law enforcement officers and police departments accountable, by bringing suits against offending officers and departments and challenging decisions that permit unreasonable and excessive police practices; conducting meaningful oversight of consent decrees; and establishing independent all-civilian review boards with the authority to effectively investigate incidents of police misconduct;

(3) calls for the end of militarized policing practices, and for the adoption of sound and unbiased law enforcement policies at all levels of government, both local and national, that will reduce the disparate impact of police brutality and use of force on Black and Brown people and other marginalized communities; and

(4) will back up our words with action and engage in a timely manner in such efforts as are necessary to demonstrate that the Maine Democratic Party unequivocally believes that Black lives matter.

Thanks for all that you do,

Kathleen

Kathleen Marra
Chair
Maine Democratic Party