The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis is a tragedy, and the Center for Disability Rights (CDR) condemns it and the police violence experienced by the Black community.

 

Acceptance of this violence and willingness to dismiss it as the act of a “few bad apples” is rooted in white privilege and perpetuates the injustice. Police violence is a systemic problem that cannot continue to be dismissed. The fact that so few of the officers have been charged or convicted for their actions demonstrates that this is deeply rooted in American society. This violence cannot be justified nor ignored. We cannot continue to just move past it or get distracted by condemnation of the actions of anyone protesting it.

 

This violence, rooted in institutional racism and white supremacy, will continue to kill Black and Brown people unless we all make the systemic changes needed to stop it. For too long, we have put the onus on the Black and Brown community to change a system they do not control, perpetuating their disenfranchisement. It is incumbent on all of us, especially white people, to fix what is broken. White silence and passivity perpetuate the violence and is unacceptable.

 

As an organization committed to advancing the rights of people with disabilities, CDR recognizes that the Disability Community cannot move forward if Black and Brown people, disabled or not, continue to face systemic racism. The freedom we are fighting for includes having the right to not live in fear of being killed at the hands of the police.

 

CDR is in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the activists fighting to ensure human rights for all. We call on people to continue protesting in the streets or online until there are new structures in place that value and protect Black lives.