View full letter here for more details on the policies we are demanding: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r46kOyh3c27hz0412kWD9eeMHCO7TW0CXt9ucVad2r4/edit?usp=sharing We need a new normal and that requires a new strategy. It is not enough to say you’ll do better. It is time that Philadelphia acknowledges its past and actively engages and commits to change. In light of recent police brutality throughout the country, American citizens are protesting racist police departments, and the generations of pain and suffering they have inflicted on Black Americans. Please do not be mistaken, this is an issue in the city of Philadelphia, as well. There is a long history of police terror and murder of Black Philadelphians. Police have brutalized Black Philadelphians and displaced Black neighborhoods since the institution began. The protests will not stop until Philadelphia accounts for its racist and unjust history and commits to real change. In 1985, the Philadelphia Police Department (the “PPD”) dropped a bomb, one typically used in war combat, on its West Philadelphia residents in an attempt to rid the city of a Black liberation group called MOVE. Eleven people, including five children, died and a Philadelphia neighborhood burned down. The actions of the PPD destroyed more than 60 homes — leaving 250 Philly residents homeless. To this day, many of those homes remain vacant and the PPD’s insidious racism and overt violence continues to loom over the city of Philadelphia. Last summer, the PPD was involved in yet another racist incident when it was revealed that several officers made racist posts on Facebook. The PPD responded by: (1) suspending 15 officers with an intent to dismiss and (2) removing 72 officers from the streets. An additional seven officers resigned. Shortly thereafter, in September of 2019, a Philadelphia police officer shot a man who was holding a box cutter. This racism and injustice only continues as Philadelphians raise their voices to promote change. On June 1, 2020, the PPD allowed a group of protestors to gather and protest onto the I-676 highway. Then, the PPD tear gassed the protestors from above via helicopters and from the ground by throwing gas canisters, to the point that bodies were rolling down the hill adjacent to the highway on live television. Tear-gas is a chemical compound so dangerous that it is not even allowed as a war tactic, yet it was used to thwart unarmed protestors. Philly sanctioned the use of this chemical against its own residents, knowing that this tactic could further exacerbate symptoms of COVID-19 and put Philadelphians at risk for asphyxiation. In response to protests against police brutality, as of June 1, 2020, military tanks were seen riding through the neighborhoods of Philadelphia—the biggest show of force yet. Where reasonable force, impartiality, health and safety is a concern, the PPD has failed in serving its citizens. The entire law enforcement system needs to be reformed to better suit the needs of citizens. Officers are public servants and police departments are funded by the tax dollars of all Philadelphia residents, yet, the PPD continuously fails to serve all members of the Philadelphia community. Police are supposed to be trained to handle difficult and intense situations without resorting to deadly force, yet time and again, deadly force is used. Philadelphia police officers are six times more likely to kill suspects than NYPD police officers. Furthermore, Philadelphia police officers used deadly force nearly 400 times between 2007 and 2013. The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, including the use of unreasonable force by police officers. However, the Philadelphia Police Department has continuously used unreasonable force, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

For decades, African-American women have always been expected to play the role of the mammy to the rest of the country if not the world. What is a mammy? An African-American woman who is expected to care for everyone and their children, with a smile, no matter how tired she is. The mammy puts everyone and everything first, until she cannot — until she dies. Remove the cover or issue a revised one. It’s “time” to destroy the myth that we as African-American women are expected to be your on-the-ground savior.

Nationwide protesting has occurred for the unjust death of George Floyd, police brutality, and Black Lives Matter movement. There have been numerous occurrences where peaceful protesters advocating for the victims of fatal unjustified racial bias have been shot with these lethal weapons by officers. Citizens protesting police brutality are becoming victims of the cause they are fighting to end. These bullets cause serious injuries including blindness, permanent disability, broken bones, and death. Rubber bullets kill 3% of people they injure, and cause serious complications in far more victims. These weapons are not non-lethal. To say so is false. It is the use of these weapons that turned the protests violent. As seen in Austin, Texas recently in a protest against racism and police brutality was turned violent because of officers at the protest, presumably defending the safety of those present. Rubber bullets are banned in wartime use due to serious injuries. There's no justification for using these lethal weapons on civilians. We will continue to advocate for the ban of rubber bullets and calling for peaceful crowd control measures on the peaceful protesters.

Our elected leaders need to be held accountable for their words and actions. Senator Cotton is encouraging violence against civilians and improperly using his office as a senator to pressure the military to commit war crimes. The social media that he used to post this comment clearly identified him as a US Senator implying this was policy and not opinion. We cannot have federal leaders advocating for the mass murder of American citizens. The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics must take swift and appropriate action to address Senator Cotton’s abuse of public office and prevent him from advocating for the unconstitutional use of US military forces against American civilians.

“More than 1,000 people are killed by police every year in America, and Black people are three times more likely to be killed than White people. We can take steps and make reforms to combat police violence and systemic racism within law enforcement. Together, we can work to redefine public safety so that it recognizes the humanity and dignity of every person. Mayors and other City Council officials“ (county executives) “are uniquely positioned to introduce common-sense limits on police use of force.” As it states on this webpage, https://www.obama.org/mayor-pledge/ This is the link to the 8 things that need to change!!: https://8cantwait.org/

In 1939, when Eleanor Roosevelt realized that the DAR was not allowing the esteemed Black opera singer, Marian Anderson, to perform for them on the racist rule that they only wanted white performers for their events at Constitutional Hall in D.C., Eleanor not only resigned from the DAR but also invited Marian to sing at the White House. As alumni from Roosevelt University, we stand for every person’s life mattering. We believe that we can make a difference in our brothers’ and sisters’ lives moving forward, with the understanding that education changes the world. With students learning about America’s racial history, we can help grow a greater connection to the principles of social justice that our university was built on. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/09/23/black-history-white-privilege-course-graduation-requirement-column/2389375001/ https://www.fdrlibrary.org/anderson

Given the recent events in our home state of Minnesota concerning black lives matter, we feel a better education about black oppression could have aided us during this time. To this extent, our education system has failed our generation and many before us. Our classrooms have ignored the plight of blacks and minorities, for too long. Please know, we do not write to condemn but rather to inform and improve. We want to change the status quo to build a future that benefits all, white people and people of color alike. We believe change begins with education. We know that TG cares about its students of color, but we need to see this represented in the classroom. Below is a list of alumni who support this initiative.

This is a symbol of slavery and racism in a area that is mixed. THIS shows the lack of RESPECT and DISRESPECT towards the AFRICAN AMERICANS in the COMMUNITY..

We, the undersigned, are AAPI healthcare providers from across the country who voice our solidarity with Black Americans and condemn anti-Black racism. With them, we mourn for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the countless other Black lives that have been prematurely ended because of racism. We commit to dismantling racism and supporting Black Americans as both fellow Americans and as leaders within healthcare. As healthcare providers, we see racism as a public health crisis in this country. We join the many healthcare organizations across the country who have issued statements about the devastating impacts of racism on health. We recognize the murder of George Floyd as a particularly gruesome example of the injustice caused by police violence and racism. As healthcare providers, we also must recognize how our own profession perpetuates and contributes to racial inequity. As members of the AAPI diaspora we acknowledge that an Asian American officer, Tou Thao, was complicit in George Floyd’s death. We support charges brought against him for aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd. The experiences and histories of the AAPI diaspora are complex and varied. We have been exploited, oppressed, stigmatized, and murdered by racism. We have also been silent in the face of anti-Black racism, benefited from anti-Black racism, and participated in anti-Black racism. We are both victims and perpetrators and must take action to examine anti-Blackness through the lens of our own personal and historical trauma of colonialism so that we can best stand with Black communities.

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that shields police from legal liability for murder, violence, and other misconduct. Qualified immunity must end now, for the memory of George Floyd--and countless others who've suffered and died at the hand of lawless police brutality. The police should be accountable to, not immune from, the same laws they enforce. They should be accountable to, not immune from, their violation of our constitutional rights. Federal law ending qualified immunity will deter police violence by making law-breaking police officers accountable for their actions. It will give the public--who both fund the police, and whom the police are supposed to protect and serve--legal recourse for police violence. Please take action to end qualified immunity for police now.

If we want to change the epidemic of mostly black men being murdered by police, we have to take strong action and this proposal is just one change that is needed.

Countless families have been torn apart by ICE. Our country cannot continue to separate families, warehouse people, and perpetuate nationalist violence. Immigration detention is always immoral, unnecessary, and unjust. But with COVID-19, it is also deadly. After multiple deaths of inmates, nurses, and corrections officers since the pandemic started, New Jersey's jails and detention centers are obviously at extreme risk of spreading COVID-19 and infecting those inside. Social distancing is not substantially possible there. Reports indicate that supplies like soap and quality food are sometimes inaccessible. These are incredibly dangerous places. Justice means removing the most violent and dangerous law enforcement operations from our communities, and we need to start right here in Essex County. Tell Essex County Board of Freeholders to vote YES on a resolution that releases every person detained by ICE in ECCF.