Andrew,
Last night, every single Senate Democrat voted with Senate Republicans on an amendment to the Senate budget resolution that would eliminate federal funding for local governments that defund the police.
Read that again. Make no mistake, Andrew: This is a universal attempt to silence the demands from the streets, from the millions of us who spoke out in the 2020 uprisings, the millions of Black folks who are forced to bear the burdens of white supremacy and state-sanctioned violence. This was an attempt to put our movement (the largest social justice movement in the world) "in check." But the Senate is forgetting something --
they work for us. If it weren't for the countless Black people that showed up to the polls in the last election, a few of those folks wouldn't even have their Senate title. Our demands are alive and well, and by voting against defunding the police, they voted against investing directly in our communities and centering care when it comes to public safety.
While not ONE senator even attempted to represent what folks across the entire country -- and the world -- have been fighting for, we're going to fight even harder. The budget resolution's headed to the House next -- and we've got to sound the damn alarm. Andrew, our movement is revolutionary, and our movement means business. Let's remind these legislators that they work for us -- and when they don't do their job, we do ours at the polls. Click here and take 2 minutes to send a letter to your representative and demand they fight this amendment so it doesn't become law. 1 of the 2 Black Senate Democrats, Sen. Cory Booker, called this amendment "a gift." (Read that again🙄) A GIFT. A "gift" that would let Democrats "put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great esteemed body would want to defund the police."
...Are folks forgetting that #DefundThePolice gives us the opportunity to completely transform public safety?
...Are folks forgetting that #DefundThePolice means transforming public safety into a public health issue that funds community-based, community-centered approaches that prevent violence rather than approaches that just continue the cycle?
...Are folks forgetting that #DefundThePolice means moving from a system of violence to one of care -- one that centers around the advancement and well-being of the people?
#DefundThePolice is a bold and strategic policy demand aimed at tackling white supremacy in public safety and ending the suffering of countless communities across this country. The real question isn't if #DefundThePolice is bad. It's: Why are so many folks okay with upholding white supremacy? Let's remind these folks that the people have the power here. Andrew. Take 2 minutes to send a letter to your representative and demand they fight this heinous amendment. Together, we can make sure their inboxes are flooded before debate begins. There's no power like the power of the people -- and we aren't stopping anytime soon. Thanks for your help, Andrew.
In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter
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