SCPDA STATEMENT ON GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH

To SCPDA Public Defenders,

“In a racist society, it is not enough to not be a racist, we must be anti-racist.” Angela Davis

We are seeing structural injustices and racism magnified. 

SCPDA stands in solidarity with communities of color. We as an organization will be adding an anti-racism directive as part of our mission. Being an anti-racism organization means purposefully identifying, discussing, and challenging issues of race and the impacts they have on the organization, our community, and our systems. Being an anti-racism organization means that we challenge ourselves to understand, correct, and challenge any inequities that exist at SCPDA and in our communities we represent. This is a journey we plan to embark on and it is the learning along the way that makes this work worth all of our efforts.

In the most recent months, more racist murders have occurred. This list is not comprehensive; it is too long and not long enough to list all of the tragedies:

February 23, 2020            Ahmaud Arbery is murdered by a father and son duo in Georgia.

March 13, 2020                Breonna Taylor is murdered in her own home by Louisville police.

May 25, 2020                    George Floyd is murdered by Minneapolis police.

May 27, 2020                      Tony McDade is murdered by Tallahassee police.

While these instances are not new, two of these instances were filmed and publicly released. These murders are heartbreaking examples of police brutality against black people. A public defender organization plays a critical role in fighting against racial injustice. As long as racist systems exist, our work continues.

Graphic from https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/