Fighting for Equal Representation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, The Collective, the nation’s largest group of affiliated organizations dedicated to increasing Black political engagement, representation and power across all levels of government, responded to the conviction of Derek Chauvin on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. Co-founders of The Collective, Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James, released the following statement:
“Today, justice prevailed. After reliving the trauma of George Floyd’s murder over the past three weeks, we’re relieved to see that the jury made the right decision and hope the judge moves swiftly to deliver a fair sentence and punishment that fits the gravity of these charges. While it’s difficult to call today’s verdict a victory given the tragic circumstances, we hope it can serve as a turning point in the push to finally hold police officers accountable for abusing their oath to protect and serve our communities and confront the police violence that has senselessly taken countless Black lives for generations.
George Floyd’s life mattered, long before he was brutally killed by Derek Chauvin and long before he became a symbol of the inequities and injustices that too often have allowed police officers to get away with dehumanizing and murdering Black men and women. As we work to collectively heal, we must honor George Floyd and the untold victims of police brutality with action by calling on our elected officials to do everything they can to reform the broken criminal justice and policing systems in this country. The Collective urges the United States Senate to immediately pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, a critical first step in the fight to combat police brutality and address racial bias in policing by barring no-knock warrants, ending qualified immunity, banning the use of chokeholds and more. There can be no justice without accountability and we will continue fighting for a system that is truly fair, equitable and protects all Americans from abuse, racism and injustice.”
ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE
The Collective is a group of affiliated organizations working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. Through our affiliated organizations — The Collective PAC, The Collective Super PAC, Collective Future, The Collective Education Fund, and The Southern Strategy — we are strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward.