The United Black Legislative Caucus issued the following statement after the death of Daunte Wright at the hands of a Brooklyn Center Police Officer on Sunday:
“Our community has been forced to withstand unthinkable trauma over the past year, and we’re angry that another young Black man has been taken from us by law enforcement. This is unacceptable and the constant cycle of police officers killing Black Minnesotans must end. The outcome Daunte Wright faced is an outcome we – as Black parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members – constantly worry about for our loved ones and ourselves. This shouldn’t be the norm, it can’t be the norm, and as lawmakers, it’s all of our responsibility to do whatever we can to ensure it no longer is the norm.
“We need accountability and we need it now. The Minnesota House is advancing much-needed solutions to identify bad officers and keep them off the streets, strengthen community oversight, and ban white supremacists from serving as officers. Daunte Wright should still be with us. His family deserves justice, and our community deserves changes to our laws that will ensure officers can be held accountable and trust can be built within our communities and those charged to protect and serve.
“Every Minnesotan deserves to be treated with the basic human rights of dignity, fairness, and respect, and too often law enforcement is failing to meet that expectation. The United Black Legislative Caucus is demanding Republicans in the Legislature, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, and the Minnesota Sheriffs Association get on board and support legislation to help build trust, create transparency, and hold officers accountable.”
The UBLC consists of Rep. Rena Moran (DFL – Saint Paul), Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL – Mendota Heights), Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Mohamud Noor (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Hodan Hassan (DFL – Minneapolis), Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Esther Agbaje (DFL – Minneapolis), Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL – New Hope), Rep. Athena Hollins (DFL – Saint Paul), and Rep. John Thompson (DFL – Saint Paul).
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