Learn more at sojo.net ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [[link removed]]Dear Friend,

Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and most recently Rayshard Brooks
are just some of the black people who have been tragically killed by current or
former police officers in the past few months. The videos that have emerged from
these incidents have been crushing to watch, particularly for black people and
communities of color who know all too well the experience of being under
constant threat by law enforcement.

Enough is enough! Now is the time to embrace bold, immediate reforms and reimagine what public
safety requires, starting with your local officials.

Email Your Local Officials Now
[[link removed]]Police violence and brutality against unarmed black men and women stems from the
abhorrent system and legacy of white supremacy and hundreds of years of
institutionalized oppression.

Mayors and local police departments have the power to do away with policies that
lead to the unequal treatment of and violence against black, Indigenous, and
people of color by conducting a rigorous review and adopting evidence-based
reforms being called for by experts and activists alike, many of which were in
the Task Force on 21 st Century Policing Report. As we push for these immediate reforms, we must also
reimagine what public safety means and requires, including investing in and
diverting funds to education, housing, and mental health issues.

Specifically, we call on mayors, local officials, and local police precincts to:

* Ban chokeholds and neck restraints in all cases
* Require officers to de-escalate situations when possible, eliminating or
reducing the need to use force
* Require officers to give a verbal warning before shooting
* Require officers to exhaust all other alternatives, including non-force and
less-lethal force options, prior to resorting to deadly force
* Ban shooting at moving vehicles
* Require officers to intervene and stop the use of excessive force by other
officers
* Establish a use of force continuum that restricts the most severe types of
force
* Require officers to report each time they use force or threaten to use force
against civilians.

Every city should adopt these policies immediately. Furthermore, we are calling
on mayors and other local elected officials to begin reinvesting and adjusting
city budgets to expand and enhance restorative justice programs, provide
alternatives to incarceration, demilitarize the police, provide crisis
intervention and de-escalation training, increase community engagement, and
expand holistic collaborative service.

Email Your Local Officials Now
[[link removed]]We are at an inflection point in America. In theological terms it can be understood as a potential Kairos moment that
leads to transformational and long-lasting change.

The killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and others shed
light on and lay bare the ongoing impact of institutionalized racism tied to
America’s original sin.

The way to honor these lives and the countless others who have been lost to
police violence is to ensure that these vicious deaths are not in vain, to
demand bold change now, and to reimagine what deeper transformation requires.

The time is now to finally fix this broken system, locally and nationally. The time is now to transform policing in this nation, put an end to police
violence and brutality, and ensure truly equal protection under the law for
everyone.

In solidarity,

Rev. Terrance M. McKinley

Director of Racial Justice and Mobilizing

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