WILD was formed following the murder of George Floyd, and we are again witnessing a police-involved killing of a young Black man – Amir Locke. We grieve the loss of Amir’s life, and we keep his family, friends, and community in our thoughts.
We know that Black Minnesotans continue to experience higher rates of injury and death in police encounters. We also know repeated exposure to trauma has a measurable impact on the quality of life of communities connected to that trauma. Living in fear that the next victim may be your loved one takes a physical and mental toll. That toll is a cost that our communities of color cannot continue to bear. Many of us are experiencing grief on many levels, including feeling like we have tried and failed to make change. Yet we must continue to demand and work towards change.
Over the course of the last two years, WILD has highlighted ideas and proposals for how to eliminate systemic racism in policing. You can see our past programs here. As we grapple with Amir’s death, now is the time for all of us in the Twin Cities to re-commit ourselves to creating a public safety system that protects us all.
WILD’s public safety working group will continue working on these issues, including examining the impact of no-knock warrants, especially on Black people. This is not the first time that no-knock warrants have come up in national news, with the most recent high-profile case being the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky in 2020. In the coming days, we are committed to providing opportunities for the public at-large to gain a better understanding of our justice system, the impact of some of these police practices, and potential alternatives. And we will continue to push for lasting change.