We refuse to remain silent about the truth of police violence, John.
Michael Brown, Jr. was killed by police. Breonna Taylor was killed by police. George Floyd was killed by police. And there are countless more Black lives that the police have taken that don’t make national headlines.
Cori has seen up close since her days as an activist in Ferguson with the movement in defense of Black lives why it’s so critical we address white supremacy in our government and end systemic racism in our communities. So when establishment Democrats say our movement isn’t realistic or describe our work as just a “slogan” — we take that personally.
Defunding the police is a call for divesting from the criminalization of our communities and investing instead in the social services that will actually keep our communities safe. This is what we’ve been organizing for since Ferguson in 2014, why Cori ran for Congress in 2020, and why we’re preparing now to make sure we keep Cori’s leadership in Congress.
It’s urgent we show a wave of grassroots support for our movement now that the establishment is refusing to rise with Cori: Will you make a $5 donation today to fund our organizing work in defense of Black lives and help us reach our $30,000 end-of-month goal before Monday's midnight deadline?
John, we came to Congress with a mission: Save Black lives.
That’s why ever since Cori was elected to office, she has been leading the call for the Democratic party to finally pass meaningful police reform that divests from our police departments and invests in our communities. It's why she introduced the People's Response Act to transform our system of public safety.
But the Democratic establishment is now refusing to associate with our movement. Here’s what they said in response to Cori’s efforts to transform police budgets: "With all due respect in the world for Cori Bush, that's not the position of the Democratic Party."
With all due respect, is protecting Black lives not a position of the Democratic party? Before coming to Congress, Cori co-organized and co-led hundreds of protests in Ferguson in defense of Black lives. She understands firsthand the pain of police violence — what it’s like to be brutalized just for saying your life matters — and the urgent need to keep our community members safe.
Our team isn’t backing down. We know that this movement elected Cori to office because y’all believe saving Black lives and ending systemic racism should be a top priority for Congress. But we need your support more than ever now that establishment Democrats are trying to belittle our work.
In solidarity,
Team Cori
