Mass. Peace Action Condemns the Execution of George Floyd

Justice for George Floyd Protest, Nubian Sq, May 31, 2020
Justice for George Floyd Protest, Nubian Sq, May 31, 2020
Justice for George Floyd Protest, Boston, May 31, 2020
Justice for George Floyd Protest, Boston, May 31, 2020

Massachusetts Peace Action condemns the lynching of George Floyd in broad daylight by the Minneapolis police. We demand that all officers involved in his murder be arrested and held accountable. Extra-judicial murders by police and police brutality must end now. We stand in solidarity with all victims of police brutality, including the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and all other victims of police violence in the African American community. We support the right of people to protest violence against black people and we condemn police violence and provocation during protests.

It is time for all of us to take responsibility for centuries of violence inflicted on black and brown people and to take action to abolish systemic racism.

We recognize the inhumane suffering of millions and millions—the majority—of people who are unemployed, underemployed, underpaid, and struggling to afford food and shelter. In the words of the Rev. Dr. William Barber, ll and the Poor People’s Campaign, “Everybody’s Got a Right to Live”.

Following George Floyd’s murder, Massachusetts’ own Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar introduced legislation to directly condemn police brutality, racial profiling, and the excessive use of force, as well as the growing militarization of police departments. These important pieces of legislation build political momentum for change and test who will acknowledge the urgency of what’s going on—and who won’t. 

Please click here to write and ask your House member to support Congresswoman Pressley and Omar’s legislation condemning the killing of George Floyd and militarized policing today!

We call for an audit of police budgets and for our tax dollars to be spent on Personal Protective Equipment, on public health measures, and on housing and food security, not on riot gear for police. We believe that miliatrism is deeply connected with the outrageous acts of violence by the police. Decades of war abroad has devastated the lives of millions. The victims of these wars are predominantly our brothers and sisters of color. The violence does not stay abroad. It comes home in the form of police behaving and equipped like an occupying army.

We call on all to unite, calling:

  • NOT ONE MORE POLICE MURDER OF A BLACK MAN, WOMAN, OR CHILD!
  • BLACK LIVES MATTER!
  • JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD!

As part of our continued efforts to educate the public on the relationship between militarism, white privilege and structural racism, Massachusetts Peace Action strongly encourages everyone to attend two events: We All We Got: A Survivor Led Conversation on June 1, and NOT ONE MORE! a Rally and Vigil for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, as well as our Fallen Locally, on June 2. For a full list of events and programs in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, reference the Massachusetts Peace Action events page.

If we stand together in solidarity, we can transform violence to peace and tyranny to justice!

— Statement written by MAPA’s Racial Justice/ Decolonization Working Group