Black Lives Matter

Dear [Representative],

The recent painful stories of black people targeted, harassed, arrested and killed by police and vigilantes has inundated our news. These people were simply jogging, buying groceries, and even sleeping. What happened to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor unfortunately is similar to many other stories of lives lost unnecessarily due to the color of their skin. Their lives were at risk because of an undercurrent in society that we need to recognize, call out, and end.

As a leader you need to take on the immense task of making changes to societies institutions to make our communities safer for everyone in them. You can do that by:

1.       Increasing investment in education, healthcare, jobs and housing for communities hardest hit by crime.

2.       Fund community-based solutions for crime and violence.

3.       Address police misconduct directly with transparency and accountability.

4.       Remove any barriers or contracts that hide officers’ disciplinary history.

5.       Strengthen police use of force policies to protect human life and rights.

6.       Establish effective civilian oversight boards with investigative and subpoena powers.

7.       Respond to our mental health crisis with healthcare not arrest and prison.

8.       End the profit motive in policing. Ban municipalities from generating more than 10% of their revenue from fines and fees.

Instituting just a few of these measures would bring us closer to a more fair and just judicial system. There are so many more ways we can improve the current system, but we can’t leave things as they are and expect a different result than what we’ve seen all over the news in recent weeks. I’m calling on you to use your position of power and influence to move us in the right direction.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Address]

[Phone Number]

[Email]