CEJA statement on police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of #AltonSterling, #PhilandoCastile, and all Black and brown lives lost by state sanctioned police violence. The tragic deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two Black men shot by police, are the most recent, horrific testaments to white supremacy, state sanctioned police violence, and racism.
We also mourn the five lives lost in the Dallas shooting by a lone gunman and reject an escalation of violence as the solution. In this time of tragedy, we lift up the continued importance of addressing the root causes of the urgent human rights crisis facing Black people in the US.
The California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) stands with the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for an end to the killing of Black people in the US, and for our decision-makers to urgently enact fundamental changes in our policing systems.
The communities where CEJA works – low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately burdened with pollution – are the same communities suffering at the hands of police violence. CEJA works for the health and safety of communities who are being killed every day by pollution and poverty, who are sick from lacking basic rights and resources, who fear for the lives of their loved ones.
The same systems of oppression that target Black people – and other people of color – with violent force are the same forces that attack communities of color with environmental pollution and toxic dumping, and are wreaking havoc on our climate. Our liberation is woven together and we are here to hold each other, to build power, and to change this world.
We will continue to fight racism and violence against the Black community and all communities of color. We will continue to dream and struggle for a better world for our families, children, and future generations. #BlackLivesMatter
