At the Partnership for Working Families, we believe that local struggles for equity and justice have always been the key to transforming the larger society for the better.
In cities across the country, our organizers and allies advocate for public goods that increase wealth, health and justice for communities of color and all of us. We’re fed up with our local tax dollars going to corporate-driven projects and bloated police budgets. We know that with a shift in priorities, the things we need to live full and healthy lives are within our grasp: excellent schools, accessible public transit, clean water, beautiful parks and recreation areas, community programs, good jobs, healthy homes, and true public safety.
There have been three full weeks of continuous protest, in the midst of a pandemic, to win reverence and respect for Black life. This is just the beginning.
So far in 2020, we’ve been on the frontlines demanding protections for essential workers, the right to shelter and tenant protections, and accountability from abusive corporations for the harm they cause to Black and brown communities. As we continue this work, our affiliates are collaborating in coalition to ensure that we keep building power to #DefendBlackLife in all of our campaigns.
We are being called to the streets. We march for justice for George Floyd, justice for Rayshard Brooks, justice for Breonna Taylor, justice for Tony McDade, justice for Ahmaud Arbery, and justice for all our siblings whose lives have been taken by police with impunity.
We are demanding a change.
Our hearts have been with the entire city of Minneapolis and our colleagues at ISAIAH Minnesota as they march, organize, and demand justice for George Floyd. In addition to hosting and attending rallies and vigils across the city and online, ISAIAH successfully petitioned Governor Tim Walz to remove Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman from the George Floyd murder case.
In Philadelphia, our colleagues at POWER joined with an interfaith, diverse group of faith leaders to request that the city stand with Minneapolis and pass a moral budget:
“We need a budget that heals by giving our young people fully funded libraries and recreation centers, not more police. We need a budget that heals by creating jobs and investing in the Office of Workforce Development and Office of Adult Education, instead of cutting them. We need a budget that protects people from mass evictions. Our children need fully funded schools, not a budget that makes policing and incarcerating the largest portion of our spending.”
In recent days, 14 city council members agreed to reject a proposed $14 million increase to the Philadelphia police budget, and demanded a fully-funded, independent Police Advisory Commission!
In Los Angeles, our colleagues at LAANE have joined in coalition with community groups and labor unions to demand that the city implement a vision for change that directly addresses anti-Black racism and the city’s long and deep history of disinvestment in the Black community. They’ve called for an immediate reduction in the LAPD budget by at least $250 million, and a $500 million investment in Black communities and other over-policed communities in Los Angeles.
In Boston, Community Labor United is organizing for transit justice and an end to police co-option of public transit during Black Lives Matter protests. They are demanding immediate changes from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, including a commitment to never again allow law enforcement to use MBTA buses and employees to transport arrested protestors.
In Chicago, our colleagues at Grassroots Collaborative have committed to organizing to defund the police throughout the state while calling for investments in Black and brown communities, in affordable housing and quality public schools, and in the creation of good-paying, meaningful jobs. Because all children deserve to learn in a police-free environment, Grassroots Collaborative has also called on the Chicago Public Schools to listen to the demands of Chicago public school students and immediately divest the school district’s $33 million police contract into life affirming resources for kids in crisis.
In Seattle, Puget Sound Sage is joining community efforts to immediately defund the Seattle Police Department by 50% and re-invest in true public health and safety — including the redirection of $50 million into Black-led community-based organizations and efforts to ameliorate the disproportionate economic and health impact of COVID-19. Sage is also calling on Seattle Public Schools to immediately sever all existing contracts and financial ties with the Seattle Police Department.
In San Diego, the Center on Policy Initiatives is working with the Community Budget Alliance to shift budget priorities towards community wellness and away from policing. Despite strong community turn-out to object to the fact that the city spends a third of its budget on the San Diego Police Department, the City Council recently voted to reject a moral budget. Our colleagues at CPI won’t stop fighting, and we stand with them:
It is clear that we are in the midst of a sea change. This is a moment of solidarity unlike any we’ve seen before. We have the power to demand a better future. All across the country, our elected officials pour vast amounts of money into a policing system that was conceived of and designed to oppress Black people. What happens when we #FundOurLives instead? The systems of white supremacy that threaten Black life must crumble. As we tear them down together, let’s be bold in what we demand to build in their place.
