Albany, NY – In response to the guilty verdict in the murder of George Floyd, Citizen Action of New York Political Director Stanley Fritz, released the following statement:
“Today’s verdict, for many, will be seen as justice; justice for George Floyd and his family, and the countless others who have experienced police violence. While justice looks different for all of us, the work to dismantle the system that led to Floyd’s death still continues. This verdict is not the systemic culture change needed to put an end to these constant attacks on our people. Across the state and country, police budgets are still bloated and policing, surveillance and the carceral system is constantly expanding in BIPOC communities. By continuously investing in policing infrastructure, we are making a policy decision that reinforces the criminalization of BIPOC communities.
“If it isn’t clear yet, I hope it is now: You can’t train a person out of shooting an unarmed person, or ‘accidentally’ pulling a gun instead of a taser. And you can’t continue to invest in police as a means to keep BIPOC communities safe. Elected officials in every corner of our state and country must meet this moment by fighting for real safety and transformational change for our communities. Black people are owed structural change. We can achieve real justice by defunding the police and making meaningful investments in the things that truly keep people safe, such as housing, health care and fully funded public schools.”