WASHINGTON DC -- “The Power 4 Puerto Rico Coalition stands in solidarity with our African American sisters and brothers in the national uprising against police violence and white supremacist policies oppressing black, brown, Native, and other communities.
“Black people should not be forced to fight for their right to breathe. That the lawless police killing of black lives on and off camera continues to be the status quo, that violence like this is given a pass by the state via qualified immunity shows that dehumanization rooted in white supremacy remains as American as apple pie. Racism must be dismantled, policing de-militarized and accountability must be the order, not the exception.
“George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner…We say their names because #BlackLivesMatter. We raise our voices because we are committed to justice. We are front and present because this racist destruction and impunity is familiar in Puerto Rican communities from Philadelphia to New York and Chicago, and beyond. A long list of Puerto Ricans beaten by white gangs, put into fatal chokeholds or “mistakenly” shot and killed by officers of the law are recorded, with no justice delivered.
“As a people with African roots, we are aware that in the architecture of white supremacy, our existence is rejected. We also recognize, and have taken inspiration from, the dedication and leadership of African Americans that has benefited our communities. And we know, as our ancestors did, that transformation of centuries-old systems must come through mutual support and solidarity towards concrete change. Change not only means enforcing the law against rogue police officers, it also means real criminal justice reform, restoring the Voting Rights Act, and dismantling systemic oppression of people of color in all its forms.
“The Puerto Rican Diaspora will continue to stand with our African American brethren. We are all one diaspora, one people, one humanity, and, together, we shall overcome systemic oppression against all communities.”
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