Black Lives Matter is an organization seeking to combat police brutality against black people. Created in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin, it has gained even more traction in light of the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbury, and countless others.
Police Brutality Statistics (via Mapping Police Violence)
There were only 27 days in 2019 where police did not kill someone.
Black people are 3x more likely to be killed by police than white people, but 1.3x more likely to unarmed compared to white people.
99% of killings by police from 2013-2019 have not resulted in officers being charged with a crime.
What Can You Do?
Donate. Family GoFundMes, bail funds, and legal defenses could all use financial support. This money goes to help the families of victims, bail out protesters wrongfully arrested, and legal defense for those affected by police brutality.
Sign Petitions. Many protests have been made to ensure police are held responsible, cases are reopened, and new legislation is put in place.
Contact leaders. Local, state, and federal leaders all hold power when it comes to dealing with police brutality. However, as their constituents, we have major influence over their decisions. Use that to your advantage.
Vote. Research the people on your ballot (including local leaders!) and vote for candidates who will push for efforts that fight police brutality and racism.
Educate. Listen to black voices. Lift them up. If you don't know what to say or how to use your platform, make it a platform for black people to speak up about their struggles. Don't take the microphone, be the microphone.
For further research, visit blacklivesmatter.com.
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