Friend,

We need leaders who are willing to dream big and fight to change a broken system that has, for hundreds of years, oppressed and killed Black and brown people.

Last week, Rashida called for defunding the police―diverting funds away from police, incarceration, and criminalization―and putting those massive resources toward tackling poverty, addressing education inequities, and increasing job opportunities.

The Detroit Police Chief, defensively, ran to FOX and called for Rashida’s resignation.¹ And HBO talk show host Bill Maher used his national platform to mock those of us who are fighting to ensure that we transform how public safety looks in our society.

From FOX News to HBO, people are trying to silence Rashida and our nationwide grassroots movement. Donate today to defend Rashida from these attacks and fight for a system that invests in safety, not criminalization and incarceration.

Read Rashida’s email below for more details about police violence and how we’re demanding a system that keeps our communities safe.

Thank you,

Team Rashida

¹ https://twitter.com/charlielangton/status/1383885186715193351

Friend,

We continue to see death after death of Black people at the hands of police officers with no meaningful accountability for the officers or departments involved.

We’ve seen money pumped into trainings and half-measures, but so-called police “reform” is not making our communities any safer. Instead of investing in police, incarceration, and criminalization, it’s time that we invest in and deliver safety.

That’s why, instead of investing in an increasingly militarized police force, we should be investing more resources into our community to tackle poverty, education inequities, and to increase job opportunities.

I have never shied away from speaking truth to power. That’s why I’ve repeatedly spoken out against the Detroit Police Department’s (DPD) violent treatment of our residents.

Report after report cites DPD’s harmful treatment of Black Lives Matter protestors. The city even took protesters to court, in an attempt to intimidate the movement.

Whether it’s violent attacks on protesters, such as a Detroit Police SUV plowing through a crowd and hospitalizing people (clearly seen on video),¹ knocking protesters to the ground and putting them in chokeholds, and aggressively arresting hundreds of protesters exercising their right to free speech²―I will continue to defend my residents against violent, racist policing.

This week, the Detroit Police Chief ran to FOX to call for my resignation. He even said he’d “throw [me] a goodbye party.”³

I’m not going anywhere.

Donate to my campaign today to demand accountability and to fight for policies that protect our communities.

Chief Craig went on a local FOX station to question who I speak for when I say we need to divest from the police. I represent the communities that are afraid to be pulled over by the police because they are scared that they could be murdered.

The $300 million that’s spent on DPD each year would be better spent on addressing poverty, education, and jobs in our communities. I will continue to work on policies that address systemic problems in our communities―such as banning racist facial recognition surveillance―to ensure every person feels safe and has the opportunity to thrive.

Donate today to fight back against attacks on me and on our abolitionist movement.

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Thank you for always having my back.

- Rashida

¹ https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/06/28/protesters-thrown-detroit-police-suv-southwest/3275899001/
² https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/06/05/detroit-protesters-detail-abuse-police-during-arrests/3137356001/
³ https://twitter.com/charlielangton/status/1383885186715193351