Target: Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House
Goal: Curb deadly police violence with law enforcement reform.
The alleged beating death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers put lethal officer-involved encounters back into America’s spotlight. Over 1,170 people lost their lives in police incidents over the last year: the highest on record. While many of these actions were legally justified, a troubling amount took place under questionable circumstances.
Of the previous year’s deaths, about ten percent of victims were killed even though they had no offense recorded against them. Roughly one-third died while fleeing the scene. And the victims were disproportionately minorities. Statistics have indicated that a Black suspect is more than three times as likely to be shot or otherwise killed by police as a white suspect.
The narrative needs to change. And it needs to change before, not after, the next preventable tragedy occurs. Despite the continued controversies, Congress has still not acted on a comprehensive set of law enforcement reforms first introduced after the death of George Floyd.
Sign the petition below to demand this critical action happen in the halls of Congress now.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker McCarthy,
Tyre Nichols joined a too-long list of names taken by alleged police brutality. He cannot become just another statistic. The nation saw his desperation, his confusion, and his pleas for help in vivid detail. These images will not be forgotten.
A fragile bridge was built when Memphis officials took swift and decisive action. You have an opportunity to put politics aside for this important moment and do the same. Don’t destroy the bridge, but strengthen it. Honor the calls of Mr. Nichols’ family and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Berlin Refugee Strike
How about some education for the pubic. People need to know how to act when interacting with police. This would definitely save people from a bad confrontation.