Official Statements

As we near the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, today’s verdict in the Tyre Nichols case is a gut punch—not because we didn’t know the system was designed with the ability to brutalize the most vulnerable, but because once again, there is no accountability in the face of its naked cruelty. Tyre should be alive today. His death wasn’t just about a few officers—it was the result of a policing culture trained and authorized to use force without consequence. When the Trump administration recently revived calls to “unleash” law enforcement in an executive order, it wasn’t just rhetoric, it was permission. Permission for the kind of abuse and impunity this case lays bare. Our hearts are with Tyre’s family and with every community still waiting for justice and real safety.

TIME to Host ‘TIME Impact Dinner: The Road to Justice’ in Washington, D.C. on May 20, in Partnership with the Center for Policing Equity  Today, TIME publishes “Five Years Later: America Looks for a Way Forward After George Floyd,” a special report released ahead of the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. In the wake of Floyd’s death, millions of Americans took to the streets, launching the largest protests in U.S. history and marking a watershed moment that demanded safety, dignity, and an end to anti-Black racism. Produced in collaboration with the Center for Policing Equity, the special package features a collection of interviews and essays from scholars, activists, artists, and more, exploring why the pursuit of racial justice remains so challenging in America. –Read the special report: here “Few periods have influenced the course of American history in the last century as the killing of George Floyd on May

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Each year, police in the United States conduct more than 20 million traffic stops, making them the most common interaction between civilians and law enforcement. A significant portion of these stops are for minor infractions that have little to no impact on traffic safety such as a dangling air freshener, broken taillight, or expired registration. These stops divert police resources away from addressing dangerous driving, undermine community trust, and disproportionately target Black drivers and drivers with low income.   In response, a group of organizations has committed to building on the growing momentum nationwide for modernizing roadway safety by refocusing traffic enforcement. This new coalition, Traffic Safety For All (TS4A), will coordinate and educate stakeholders on the importance of limiting low-level traffic stops and allowing law enforcement to focus on addressing offenses that are central to causing crashes and traffic fatalities. To that end, the Vera Institute of Justice created

The unconscionable murder of Sonya Massey by former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson is beyond defense. After calling for help, welcoming uniformed officers into her home, and engaging in conversation, yet another life has been cut short. We cannot continue to allow harmful and deadly policing practices to terrorize our communities.  Elected leaders, community advocates, and law enforcement officials must continue working together to create safer, more just communities – not ones where people consider if their lives are worth calling the people charged with protecting them. We stand with her family, friends, and community to call for justice.

The gun violence during today’s presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is a distressing demonstration of the fraught tensions currently at play throughout the nation. We must be clear: violent actions and rhetoric have no place in politics. Today’s actions were reprehensible. We are saddened to learn of the loss of life and injuries sustained, including the injury of the former President.