Joint Statement by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Women ProfessionalsThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization in the U.S. was formed in 1909 to advance justice for African Americans. The Links Inc. is a volunteer service organization of more than 16,000 Afro-American women professionals committed to ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. The NAACP and The Links, Incorporated are releasing a joint statement to express their strong support of the collective outrage and calls for policing reform expressed by residents all over the country in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others at the hands of current or former law enforcement officers. The nationwide protests represent the anger, pain, fear, and distrust directed toward law enforcement resulting from decades of brutality against African Americans. For too long, law enforcement and the criminal justice system at large has racially profiled, arrested, convicted, and sentenced African Americans more harshly than the rest of America. As George Floyd's killing tragically demonstrates, any interaction between an African American and law enforcement can instantaneously become deadly. We will not rest until all the officers involved in these incidents are arrested, charged and convicted. We must ensure that justice is served in each and every case. The nation's collective condemnation of police violence against the Black community represents a watershed moment. This is the time for systemic changes to policing in this country. We need federal, state, and local reforms which impose strict police accountability, limit the use of force, eliminate racial profiling, de-militarize law enforcement, track and report data, and ensure proper screening, education and training of all officers. Local law enforcement agencies receive federal funding and must be made to comply with federal civil rights laws.
Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, Ph.D., National President, The Links, Incorporated: "Our community has reached its breaking point. We cannot take one more death based on race, one more unjust sentence or one more denial of our civil and human rights. The time to speak is now. We must let those in power know that daily rights -- jogging, buying personal items, or just sleeping in our home -- should not end in a death sentence for Black people. The Links, Incorporated and our 16,000+ members are committed to ensuring the survival of our communities of African descent and the change necessary to do so. We stand with the NAACP's call for the United Nations to classify the mistreatment of Black people in the United States by the police a human rights violation. We call for incident oversight by review boards and human rights commissions and the use of body cameras for all officers. We can no longer delay action. Our collective voice can make a difference. Enough is truly enough. #LinksCallToJustice." (June 2, 2020)
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Derrick Johnson, President and
CEO of the NAACP: "Enough is enough. The entire country has reached its
limit in terms of deadly police practices. We cannot allow one more
Black person to die at the hands of government. Our #WeAreDoneDying
campaign is aimed at eliminating racial disparities that are harming
our communities and taking our lives. Nowhere is there more systemic
injustice than in law enforcement's treatment of the Black community it
is charged with guarding and protecting. We must seize this moment to
eliminate racism from policing and to hold every officer accountable
for his or her actions."