Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) tweeted support on Sunday for the Black Lives Matter petition to defund police departments across the United States.
“Know that it’s still both, but don’t let the “who” overshadow the decades of structural racism that has created the system that allows police officer after police officer off the hook for murder. I just want us to dig deeper so that the #DefundPolice movement isn’t brushed aside,” Tlaib tweeted after an earlier post about the “what” is more important than the “who” in the death of George Floyd who died in police custody on Memorial Day in Minneapolis.
“Too many folks are confused when they hear we need to #DefundPolice. I ask you to engage in this debate with an openness. There is real validity in dismantling the current racist system that has led to this pain.” Tlaib tweeted.
Too many folks are confused when they hear we need to #DefundPolice. I ask you to engage in this debate with an openness. There is real validity in dismantling the current racist system that has led to this pain.
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 31, 2020
The petition on the Black Lives Matter website states:
Enough is enough.
Our pain, our cries, and our need to be seen and heard resonate throughout this entire country.
We demand acknowledgment and accountability for the devaluation and dehumanization of Black life at the hands of the police.
We call for radical, sustainable solutions that affirm the prosperity of Black lives.
George Floyd’s violent death was a breaking point — an all too familiar reminder that, for Black people, law enforcement doesn’t protect or save our lives. They often threaten and take them.
Right now, Minneapolis and cities across our country are on fire, and our people are hurting — the violence against Black bodies felt in the ongoing mass disobedience, all while we grapple with a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting, infecting, and killing us.
We call for an end to the systemic racism that allows this culture of corruption to go unchecked and our lives to be taken.
We call for a national defunding of police. We demand investment in our communities and the resources to ensure Black people not only survive, but thrive. If you’re with us, add your name to the petition right now and help us spread the word.
The Click on Detroit website reported on Sunday that 84 people were arrested in downtown Detroit and that most were not residents of the city:
A majority of the protesters live in communities outside Detroit. The Detroit Police Department says only 21 of the 84 protestors live in Detroit. Two of the protesters arrested live outside Michigan and are from Ohio and Tennessee.
On Friday night, 60 protestors were arrested with the majority also from neighboring communities. In addition to the arrests, police vehicles were damaged Friday night.
According to Detroit Police Chief James Craig, that number includes 15 women and 45 men. Of the men arrested only 17 were from the city of Detroit. Only 6 of the women arrested were from Detroit.
The website said more protests were planned for Sunday.
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