CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)—December 1, 2015. The Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) is pleased to learn that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has taken one necessary step towards holding himself and the city of Chicago accountable for its promotion and support of systemic violence against Black people by firing Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.
Mayor Emanuel’s decision to fire Supt. Garry McCarthy comes as a result of massive community organizing and direct confrontations between young Black organizers and the Chicago Police Department to expose the ongoing structural abuses of power Black people are subjected to everyday. Now, Mayor Emanuel, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and all top elected officials involved in the cover-up surrounding the execution of Laquan McDonald must make the right decision and resign immediately. They have demonstrated a deep ineptitude to exercise compassion and good judgment as leaders and should not be trusted to make decisions that impact our lives.
As young Black people who organize Black communities in Chicago, we are clear that Supt. McCarthy, Mayor Emanuel and State’s Attorney Alvarez represent elements of a system that must not only be reformed, but radically changed. These changes must include not only new leadership, but also a clear commitment to defund policing and invest in the futures of Black Chicagoans.
We demand a participatory city budget in which the public has the power to defund the Chicago Police Department and invest those dollars and resources in Black futures by setting a living wage, fully funding healthcare, social services, public schools, sustainable economic development projects and Black businesses that support Black communities.
- We demand an immediate end to the criminalization of Black people for minor possession of marijuana and other petty crimes.
- We demand the immediate firing of Officer Dante Servin without a pension for the killing of Rekia Boyd, as well as all other officers who have contributed to the deaths of Black Chicagoans.
- We demand a fully independent civilian police accountability council with hiring, firing, subpoena and budgeting power. The creation of a Police Accountability Task force appointed by Mayor Emanuel is insufficient and undemocratic.
Public officials now have the opportunity to decide what kind of city they want to help build alongside the young Black people leading in this critical moment. Our vision is based in a fundamental belief that no city should spend 40% of its budget on policing our lives while systematically destroying our communities. This irresponsible allocation of the budget is indicative of the fact that the power of how to spend public funds should not lie with these out-of-touch leaders, but with the public themselves. We are calling on all young Black people, elected officials, clergy and community leaders to join us in a call to defund policing in Chicago and instead invest in Black futures.
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Black Youth Project 100 (BYP 100) is a national activist member-based organization of Black 18-35 year olds, dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. We do our work through a Black queer feminist lens. We are affiliated with the Black Youth Project.
www.byp100.org – @BYP_100 – facebook.com/BYP100
Source: www.byp100.0rg
