Youth Represent stands with young people and families in New York City and around the country protesting anti-Black racism and police violence. We demand justice for the countless individuals whose lives have been taken by state violence, including
Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade. We demand accountability for the NYPD's use of force against protesters, including driving a police car into a crowd of people and removing the mask from a Black protester before attacking him with pepper spray. The responses so far from the Mayor and NYPD Commissioner, justifying these actions and even praising the NYPD, are unconscionable.
The events in New York City over the weekend highlight the importance of #NYCBudgetJustice. The City must reject cuts to the Summer Youth Employment Program and other critical programs, invest in young people and communities, and defund the NYPD.
They also underscore the need for real transparency and accountability for police officers, which means repealing Section 50-a of the NYS Civil Rights Law, which prevents release of police disciplinary records.
These measures are just the start. The NYPD must also respect the right to protest. A curfew, such as the one imposed on NYC last night, must not become yet another pretext for racist stops and arrests.
Young people in New York City have already lived through months of lockdown, including shuttered schools, family stress, economic hardship, and community loss of life, all of which have fallen disproportionately on Black youth and other youth of color. They deserve justice and accountability.
Black Lives Matter.