The killings of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, Breonna Taylor by police in Louisville, the killings by police in Indiana of Dreasjon “Sean” Reed, McHale Rose, and Ashlynn Lisby, and the killing of Ahmaud Arbery by vigilantes in Georgia remind us in the worst way that deadly police brutality and white racism have not taken a break during the pandemic.
“America is well on its way to a sixth straight year of a thousand people shot to death by police,” said Collette Flanagan, founder of MAPB, whose unarmed son, Clinton Allen, was killed by Dallas police in 2013.
“We need national standards for the use of deadly force, with specifics in federal legislation indicating when deadly force is not allowed,” said John Fullinwider, co-founder of MAPB.
The police report released in the death of Mr. Floyd was not accurate, leaving out the proximate cause of death – that is, the officer placing his knee on this unarmed man’s neck till he lost consciousness.
“Over-policing, racial profiling, and use of deadly force are not reducing crime in our communities,” said Sara Mokuria, co-founder of MAPB, whose father was killed by Dallas police.
