We’re outraged and heartbroken, John.
This week, we learned that the Rochester police officers who murdered Daniel Prude will not face charges.1 Daniel was experiencing a mental health crisis. Instead of providing him with the care he deserved, the responding officers murdered him in the street.
A grand jury refused to indict the cops who murdered Daniel Prude — another devastating blow to his loved ones and to all those demanding justice. But Color Of Change won’t stop fighting, John, and neither can you.
Add your name now to demand an immediate U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the Rochester Police Department.
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The fact is, Daniel Prude’s murder was not a one-off tragedy. The Rochester Police Department has a history of racist violence and reckless disregard for human life. The same police force that murdered Daniel Prude last year handcuffed and maced a 9-year-old girl just a few weeks ago.2, 3
For the community to heal and to build a safer city for Black people in Rochester, the Rochester Police must be held accountable.
That’s why we’re calling on Biden’s Department of Justice to immediately investigate the Rochester Police for civil rights violations, as well as their pattern and practice of inappropriate use of force, particularly targeting Black people. Add your name now, John.
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We’ll be blunt, John: Black voters showed up and delivered a Biden presidency and a Democratic Senate majority. Now, the Biden/Harris administration must show up for us.
Beyond President Biden’s promise to address the “unbearable human costs of systemic racism,”4 the new administration has also vowed to rebuild the Department of Justice with a greater emphasis on racial justice and civil rights.5 That vision must include investigations into systemic racism in policing, and court-monitored consent decrees to end anti-Black violence inflicted by local police departments like RPD.
On Tuesday, the Dept. of Justice announced a review of the NY Attorney General's report in the Daniel Prude case6 — but we know this isn’t enough, and a review of one case won’t stop RPD from continuing to harm Black people. We need an investigation into the entire police department.
It’s up to us to make sure President Biden keeps his promise to Black voters and uses the power of his administration to defend Black lives — in Rochester, in your city, and across the country.
John, add your name now to call on the Biden DOJ to immediately investigate the Rochester Police Department and demand safety for Black people:
DEMAND ACTION NOW
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Activists in Rochester have been demanding justice for Daniel Prude and structural changes to policing in their city for months. More than 100,000 Color Of Change members like you joined them to demand justice last year.7
And Rochester officials took notice, John. The city’s police chief and deputy police chief were fired, and the city began the process of establishing a new “crisis intervention unit.” This unit would be a non-law enforcement response to calls involving domestic violence and mental health crises, like the one Daniel Prude was experiencing.8
But our demands to charge the officers involved in Prude’s death and ban the use of chemical weapons (including pepper spray) have been ignored. The city’s failure to take bold action in the aftermath of Prude's murder led to a nine-year-old girl being handcuffed and pepper-sprayed in January. And today, right now, Black people in Rochester — whether they’re a child or an elder, experiencing a health crisis or simply walking down the street — are not safe.
John, Rochester officials can no longer defend a system that fails to deliver justice for victims of police brutality.
We demand safety, and we will fight for change. Sign our petition to demand an immediate DOJ investigation into the Rochester Police Department, and an action plan to protect and defend Black lives in Rochester.
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Until RPD’s pattern of brutality and racism is revealed — and Rochester leaders hear activists’ demands to prioritize public safety initiatives that protect Black lives — Black Rochesterians are not safe.
Add your name to continue demanding justice for Daniel Prude and Black people in Rochester.
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Until Justice Is Real,
Erika, Rashad, Arisha, Malachi, Megan, Ernie, Ariel, Madison, Ana, McKayla, Trevor, Palika, and the rest of the COC team
References:
1. No charges against officers involved in Daniel Prude’s death. The Associated Press, 23 February 2021.
2. New Footage Emerges of Police Pepper-Spraying of Distraught 9-Year-Old. The New York Times, 11 February 2021.
3. PETITION: Demand justice for the 9-year-old attacked by Rochester PD. Color Of Change.
4. Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The White House, 20 January 2021.
5. On civil rights, policing, prosecutions, Biden’s Justice Department will be distinct from Trump’s. The Washington Post, 11 January 2021.
6. Department of Justice Issues Statement Regarding Federal Civil Rights Review Into March 2020 Police Encounter with Daniel Prude. U.S. Dept. of Justice, 23 February 2021.
7. PETITION: Demand Justice For Daniel Prude. Color Of Change.
8. City establishes new crisis intervention unit following Daniel Prude's death. ABC 13 WHAM, 16 September 2020.
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