New York, NY — May 18th, 2015
“This is a good first step from President Obama but it is by no means a fix-all solution for the ways Black and Brown communities have been criminalized and stigmatized here in the United States,” said Million Hoodies National Policy and Communications Director, Pete Haviland-Eduah. “President Obama’s Executive Order will require data collection and will give us the proper tools necessary to track incidents of police malpractice and militarized equipment but it fails to address important aspects of policing such as hiring and training practices that have significantly contributed to aggressive tactics by the police in communities across the country. We are at a critical point in our nation’s history and we applaud the President on this crucial first step, but we will continue to work towards further systemic reforms that ensure that a culture of police militarization along with hyper-aggressive tactics are truly a thing of the past.”
“We appreciate the President’s executive order to change the way communities around the country are policed, it is such an important discussion and knowing that this has prompted a response from the White House is a vital first step towards making change,” said Million Hoodies Movement for Justice University of California Riverside Chapter President, Lauren Green. “However, as college students, we realize that a militarized police culture is not just a problem for communities, it is a problem for college campuses and universities as well. We must take steps to ensure that students are protected from these types of practices as well and we will continue our work with the Million Hoodies Movement for Justice until places of higher education are held accountable for their policing practices as well.”
Click here for more information on our work around police militarization.
Million Hoodies Movement for Justice is a national racial justice network with over 60,000 members working to end the mass criminalization of youth of color. Million Hoodies seeks to build a safer and just America by transforming the public narrative on gun violence and mass criminalization while providing the tools necessary for communities to protect themselves.
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