Statement on the killing of Amir Locke

Demands for change

The Human Rights Program condemns the killing of Amir Locke at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department and its continuing reckless use of no-knock entries. We grieve the loss of Amir, as we have grieved so often in recent memory at the ruthless executions of beloved BIPOC men and women in our community and country by the very police officers whose duty is to protect life, not to take it.

International human rights law requires that, “Law enforcement officials may use force only when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the performance of their duty” (Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement, art. 3).  No-knock entries are the epitome of the excessive use of force, which terrorize our community and result in extrajudicial killings.

We call for a complete overhaul of the racist structures, attitudes and systems that generated the executions of Amir Locke, as well as George Floyd, Daunte Wright and Philando Castile. These four recent murders are only the most visible of the daily indignities and human rights violations against black men and women in Minnesota and the United States.  

We refuse to support a system that disproportionately targets black bodies and executes them without reservation.

In June 2020 we demanded:

  • An end to violations against all black, indigenous and people of color;
  • An end to this terrible legacy of systemic racial discrimination that sickens us and prevents us from creating peaceful and sustainable communities;
  • Justice for BIPOC victims of violence and discrimination;
  • Support for BIPOC leaders to rebuild our community into one that values human dignity, equality, sustains and develops all children and all families, and puts the health and livelihoods of all people at the center of our policy decisions. 

Our demands remain the same.  Stop the violence and persecution.  Protect the lives of all BIPOC individuals.

 

Share on: