This was an important but draining week regarding the future of policing and our collective continued search for true justice. The murderer of George Floyd, Derek Chauvin, was found guilty on all counts, in a far too-rare example of police accountability.
To help inform our members and community of the latest developments and discuss the path forward on reimagining public safety in our communities and what activists can do to help, People For held a digital briefing. People For’s President Ben Jealous, Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, noted civil rights leader, historian, and People For Board Member Mary Frances Berry, and MoveOn’s Executive Director Rahna Epting met virtually to discuss the George Floyd verdict and the future of justice in America.
There’s much more that can and must be done to ensure that no more Black and brown families grieve as Floyd’s family is – or as the families of Ma’Khia Bryant, Andrew Brown, Daunte Wright, and Adam Toledo are. We must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act at the federal level, which will not solve every problem but is a good start. And we must do the hard work of fundamentally changing policing at the local level, which is happening across the country from the state level to the city and county level, where we are seeing innovative solutions proposed – some of which are discussed during the briefing. Make sure to watch the event here, and then stay tuned for more updates on how we can all support efforts to reimagine public safety on both a local and national scale.