Dear MoveOn member,

Today, we honor the life of George Floyd and the countless people harmed
or killed by police.

One year ago today, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered
George Floyd on a Minneapolis street in broad daylight. The video footage
of this murder shocked and galvanized the world. But for so many Black
communities, this murder was just another stark reminder of the daily
realities of police violence.

In the last year, millions of people across the country have taken to the
street and taken action online to demand an end to police violence and to
fundamentally challenge the systems of policing that perpetuate this
violence. 

We know that the anti-Blackness exemplified by George Floyd’s murder
endangers lives every day. We know that anti-Blackness is enshrined in our
country’s systems of policing—and has been since this country’s racist
origins—and that’s why public safety must be fundamentally reimagined and
transformed.

Today, in too many cities and towns across the country, more resources are
invested in violent policing than in programs and services that help keep
our communities safe. As just one example, New York City spends more on
policing and corrections than on homeless services, the Department of
Health, Housing Preservation and Development, youth and community
development, and workforce investment—combined.^1 We know that if our
political leaders would re-invest those billions of dollars into social
services, our communities would be exponentially safer.

Over the last year, MoveOn members have consistently shown up to push for
vital change.  

* Thousands of MoveOn members joined mobilizations in the streets in the
days and weeks after Floyd’s murder to protest against police
violence.
* MoveOn members chipped in $2 million for the Movement for Black Lives
and National Bail Out last summer.
* Over 500,000 MoveOn members signed a [ [link removed] ]petition calling for justice
in Floyd’s murder, and over 140,000 signed [ [link removed] ]a petition demanding
that the racist head of the Minneapolis police union resign.
* And just last month, MoveOn members continued to support grassroots
efforts in Minneapolis to support local police accountability.

Thanks to the efforts of organizers and activists like yourself, we’re
closer to real police accountability than we ever have been—but we can’t
let up now. Here are a few more ways that you can get involved during this
critical time: 

* Our friends at Color of Change are hosting a week of action this week
to commemorate one year of protests and uprisings against police
violence. [ [link removed] ]Check it out here, and be sure to get involved.
* [ [link removed] ]Donate to the Yes 4 Minneapolis campaign, which is a Minneapolis
ballot measure to revise the city’s charter so that the Minneapolis
City Council can disband the city’s police department and reorganize
it as a Department of Public Safety.
* [ [link removed] ]Sign this petition calling for the Minnesota Legislature to pass
legislation that puts more checks on police across the state. 
* [ [link removed] ]Sign this petition calling for the removal of a Rochester, NY
police union leader after he defended the pepper-spraying of
a 9-year-old Black girl.
* [ [link removed] ]Read about the BREATHE Act, a bill sponsored by Representatives
Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, that invests in a new vision of
public safety. Contact your member of Congress and tell them to
support the BREATHE Act today!

It’s been one year since George Floyd was taken from his family and his
community. Our work is just beginning. Together, we will keep working
until we truly achieve justice and safety for all of our communities.

Thanks for all you do.

–Rahna, Arvin, Mohammad, Jaira, and the rest of the team

Source:

1. "#NYCBUDGETJUSTICE CAMPAIGN'S CALL IS FOR THE $1B TO BE CUT IN FY21,"
Communities United for Police Reform, accessed May 24, 2021
[link removed]


Want to support our work? Together, we made Donald Trump a one-term
president! Now, it's time to expand access to health care, fight for
citizenship for the undocumented, reform policing, and tackle the climate
crisis.

Will you chip in to power the fight for bold, progressive change?



[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.





You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]