Interfaith Moral Action on Climate (IMAC) vigorously supports action to address the continuing crisis of police brutality against Black people and other people of color.
We are horrified by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and by the actions of the former police officers charged with his murder. Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown and others join the long and always lengthening list of people whose lives were taken because of the color of their skin.
Rarely is a police officer who kills an unarmed person of color convicted, incarcerated and imprisoned. The Movement for Black Lives and other groups are in the streets to protest this gross injustice against humanity. Absent pressure from the people, we no longer have faith that the legal system will address this.
We embrace the words of 350.org North America director Tamara Toles O’Laughlin,
“…the work of dismantling white supremacy is essential to building a climate movement that matters and stands any chance of winning. As we stand up against injustice, our demands include taking action to end systemic violence against Black communities. Decades of environmental justice activism has shown that communities facing racist violence and over-policing are also overrun by fossil fuel extraction, pollution, and every manner of related health disparities. The truth is that the status quo is killing us …and we have no reason to support ‘business as usual.'”
IMAC urges its members and supporters to take these issues seriously, to support the Movement for Black Lives and other groups challenging institutionalized racism, and to participate in visible actions for racial justice now and in the future.
