Truth Telling Project Statement

George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

Our hearts are heavy as we write this message. While the conviction of a guilty verdict for the murder of George Floyd was reached, and is a step toward accountability of police officers for the murder of Black and Brown bodies, it is evident with the murder of Ma’khia Bryant shortly after that our work is not done. This conviction may bring closure for the Floyd family, we must continue to seek justice for the senseless and negligible killings of our people by police officers in our communities supported by a system of White Supremacy. The jury did their due diligence to bring accountability for George Floyd’s death, but we are far from justice. Floyd, Bryant, and so many more should still be alive to live another day. Not long after the conviction of Derek Chauvin, and before we could fully grieve the loss of 16 yr. old Ma’Khia Bryant, a push for legislation in multiple states has been passed restricting our right and freedom to protest against the atrocities we are seeking to redress. Laws have been passed in Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, and Indiana to criminalize protesting, restricting those convicted of unlawful assembly from holding public office, granting immunity to vehicles that strike protestors by restricting their access to student loans, unemployment, or housing assistance. We must continue the fight to support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, work for prison abolition, and defund police until we have reached a point in which being a BIPOC individual does not automatically sully a crime scene and doesn’t result in our deaths by those responsible to serve and protect.