Today, the Center for Policing Equity released the following statement on the shooting of Jacob Blake and violence in Kenosha:
While we remain thankful for Jacob Blake’s survival, we stand with communities across the country enraged by the shooting of yet another unarmed Black man at the hands of law enforcement. Equitable policing begins with the premise that compliance with the law is based on trust, not fear. That means lethal force should be a last resort, not an automatic response to each perceived threat, and it requires our leaders to hold officers accountable when they fire shots without just cause.
At the same time, our thoughts are with the families of those murdered by a vigilante on Tuesday night, along with a Kenosha community wracked by unrest. The law cannot abide, nor will any community tolerate, violence against those who exercise their constitutional right to stand up for justice.
Civil rights leaders and police chiefs will tell you the people in Kenosha, WI, like people across the country, deserve real solutions to the problems that can converge in tragedy — not simply more of the same without meaningful change.
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About Center for Policing Equity: As a research and action organization, Center for Policing Equity (CPE) produces analyses identifying and reducing the causes of racial disparities in law enforcement. Using evidence-based approaches to social justice, we use data to create levers for social, cultural and policy change. Center for Policing Equity also holds a 501(c)3 status.