GEORGE FLOYD: SILENCE CAN NO LONGER BE TOLERATED

Authored By:
Sean Haley, Ph.D.

Today we march in solidarity with the family of George Floyd, tomorrow we press forward with an elevated commitment to taking actions that create meaningful change in and around the Houston Greater Third Ward neighborhood areas where George Floyd lived, learned and spread love to others.

It is without hesitation that we at the Center for Civic and Public Policy Improvement (CCPPI) lift our hands toward the sky and reiterate the mantra “We Can’t Breathe” in peaceful protest against the violent legacy of brutality that police officers have perpetrated on immeasurable numbers of Black people, and Black men specifically!  Change must occur now.  The evidence is clear.  Systemic methods of attack on people of African descent in our nation, such as the deliberate use of violent forms of policing during and following the incomprehensibly brutal period of enslavement, are an incessant part of our history with generational impacts.  The residual and immediate effects of living under such circumstances that continually create high levels of stress, accompanied by related stressors associated with living in a constant state of fear and anxiety, is taking its toll on the community.  Morbidity and mortality rates remain disproportionately high across the Black community, which is only exaggerated by COVID -19 pandemic today.  The reality is that this is not new information.  On the contrary, these data points have been available for years.

So yes, we stand with the family of George Floyd, Houstonians, and our national and global community who peacefully protest today and with a unified voice say this must stop now! Police violence can no longer be tolerated. Silence can no longer be tolerated.  This murder was unnecessary, and we want to acknowledge the harm that this act has caused to the victim and his family, and our community at large.   We at CCPPI remain dedicated to advancing policies that promote human, civic, social, and economic justice. Our commitment to civic improvement and work in the areas of safety and criminal justice provide the avenue for CCPPI to push for change through policy advocacy and by taking other necessary actions to affect progress. 

Tomorrow we press forward.