Did you catch this headline on Juneteenth?
John, it's time. It's
been time for a public safety transformation.
On Juneteenth, Rep. Bush shared her vision of transforming public safety from a system of violence to one of care. It's something that's long overdue -- and it's on us to ensure that this country rights its wrongs so Black people can thrive.
“It's not just cycles of violence that stem from slavery,” Rep. Bush says.
And she's right.
Despite what many of our (not rooted in critical race theory) history books say, the 13th amendment did
not outlaw slavery -- it gave slavery a loophole via incarceration where white supremacy continues to thrive.
From the War on Drugs to militarized policing to mass incarceration, Black, brown, and Indigenous communities have been disproportionately targeted and harmed by America's policing and incarceration crisis. Rep. Bush's vision of public safety allows us to take an opportunity to meet people with compassion, care, and investment -- not with state-sanctioned violence or punishment.
Today, Rep. Bush introduced the People's Response Act, a bill to turn her new vision of public safety into reality. To help pass it, first we need to build public support for it. Please watch and share the video explaining this transformative new bill.
It is not difficult to understand why our current state of "public safety" is anything but.
People who have become a product of the legacy of slavery through substance abuse or homelessness will not recover from punishment and criminalization -- but they can if we invest in programs that give them the resources they need to recover. Public safety is a public health issue. It's time we treat it like one.
So many lives could have been saved if our current system of public safety was
actually designed to protect our communities.
Our dream of freedom and liberation for all Black people has yet to be fully realized. And it's time we recognize that these cycles of struggle stem from the entwined legacies of slavery, white supremacy, and policing.
Responding to trauma with trauma does not work. Responding to violence with more violence does not work. This never worked. And that's why we're getting behind the People's Response Act. Watch and share the video to help spread the word and build the public support we need to pass it.
Let's transform public safety for the better, John.
In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
P.S. Want to learn more about the PEOPLE'S Response Act?
Follow @blklivesmatter on Instagram -- we'll be going live at 8:15 p.m. ET with Rep. Cori Bush and Kendrick Sampson with more information.
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