STATEMENT IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE MOVEMENT FOR BLACK LIVES

We are outraged at the senseless murder of George Floyd. We denounce the systemic racism and violence inflicted too regularly upon Black lives and we stand in solidarity with those who protest law enforcement’s brutality and abuse against Black Americans.

CRPE condemns the police murders of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Yassin Mohamed, Sean Reed, Breonna Taylor, Steven Taylor, and the vigilante murder of Ahmaud Arbery, among the countless others. CRPE also condemns the use of state force against peaceful protesters who are demanding our leaders address the systematic racism plaguing our society. We also join with the Movement for Black Live’s call for public institutions to divest from the police and reinvest in Black communities.

CRPE’s work centers building community power and self-determination. These principles and our very democracy are under attack by a government unwilling to address its history of racism or dismantle a system designed to perpetuate inequality and division. To create thriving and healthy communities, we must address systemic racism. CRPE condemns the use of state force against protesters who are demanding our leaders address the systematic racism plaguing our society. These demands include not only holding police officers accountable for murders they commit, but also include policies to further economic justice, criminal justice, and health justice for Black communities.

Racial justice is at the heart of the Environmental Justice Movement. CRPE recognizes that as an organization that works with predominately Latinx communities, we must be explicit in addressing anti-Blackness within our work. We commit to doing our part to combat the structural racism that so heavily discounts Black lives. We commit to educating our staff, boar, and the communities we work with to be allies to the Movement for Black Lives.

A good place to start taking action is to support the  Week of Action in Defense of Black Lives .  

In Solidarity!

Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment | Website