Friends of the Earth stands in support of Black lives and echoes calls to defund the police
Friends of the Earth U.S. condemns the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, and the continued state-sanctioned violence against Black people in the United States. Today and every day, we declare Black lives matter.
These recent acts of police violence are consistent with a larger system of racism in this country, present since the founding of the nation. We are witnessing the ways in which this systemic racism is manifesting at this moment: the disproportionate and militarized police violence Black people experience when exercising democratic rights to protest; the state’s violent neglect of Black communities during the current Covid-19 crisis; and the active and ongoing suppression of the fundamental right to vote. We also recognize the many ways in which Black communities experience environmental racism, disproportionately bearing the burdens of pollution and toxic exposures.
Echoing the demands of frontline organizations, in this moment we call for: the defunding of police departments, the reallocation of resources directly to communities for healthcare, housing, and economic opportunity, and the full prosecution of all police involved in the recent murders of Black lives.
Friends of the Earth U.S. reiterates its solidarity with our Black staff, members, allied organizations, and Black communities across the United States in the fight for social, racial, and economic justice. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others should still be alive today. We recommit ourselves to doing the necessary advocacy, organizing, and mobilizing to dismantle systemic racism in achieving a more healthy and just world.
Please join us in demanding justice for Breonna Taylor.