Today, Alliance San Diego took a hopeful leap.

Alliance San Diego sent a letter to President Biden urging him to protect our human rights so all of us can live with dignity and participate in an inclusive democracy. The United States has disproportionately harmed Black and Brown people in our communities and the violations of human rights by law enforcement are plentiful. The excessive force used by federal, state, and local law enforcement kills more than 1,000 people a year; nearly 20 percent of these killings occur in California.

How and why is this happening? Great question. The simple answer: the standard for use of force is low. The current standard for law enforcement to use force in the United States is ‘reasonable’ which is out of step with international standards. Biden can catalyze the power of his presidency to change it. The international human rights standard for use of force is ‘necessary and proportionate’ which prioritizes the protection of life — that is exactly what we should do in this country.

In the coming year, Alliance San Diego will work towards changing this standard to honor the dignity of life. With your support and the power of the collective community, we will advance our mission of creating an inclusive democracy. We will elevate the point of an inclusive democracy — human dignity — and fight for the human rights that enable all of us to participate with dignity. We are ready partners for a president willing to do the same.