No sooner was the guilty verdict announced in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis — bringing with it a sense of relief, if only compared to the alternative — than news reached us of another tragedy. Ma’Khia Bryant, a 16 year-old girl, was shot and killed by police in Columbus, Ohio after she herself called the police for help, according to her family. This comes as Chicago is reeling from the release of video showing the killing of 13 year-old Adam Toledo, shot by police with his hands raised.
Since Chauvin’s trial began on March 29, more than three people a day have died at the hands of law enforcement, according to the New York Times. If the conviction of police who kill Black and Brown people cannot even keep pace with the rate of the killings, then it is hard to believe that such verdicts can solely bring justice, let alone contribute to broader transformative change.
There is so much work to be done, and at Between Friends we know that we all have our part to play. Domestic violence organizations that are dedicated to striving for greater equity cannot look away from this issue or rely on platitudes. As we mourn those who have been lost to police violence, we must be unafraid to be critical of the systems with which our clients have to contend, even as we help them navigate those systems.
People in crisis situations cannot be expected to see calling the police as a valid choice if they have a legitimate fear that doing so may put their lives or the lives of their loved ones at risk. Many of our clients are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who have at best a strained relationship with law enforcement and with the criminal legal system, with good reason.
It is essential that people who are faced with domestic violence can find solutions that offer them real safety and meaningful healing. Between Friends is committed to creating a world in which those solutions are available, and in which violence and abuse of every kind are eliminated.