NJC responds to police killing of Mr. George Floyd

The Neighborhood Justice Center strongly condemns the Minneapolis Police Department’s actions that led yet again to the homicide of an unarmed black man, in this case Mr. George Floyd. As a community, we are horrified by the persistent and pernicious expressions of racism within our government institutions that were designed to protect and serve all of us. Mr. Floyd’s life mattered. The lives of black and brown Minnesotans matter. The Neighborhood Justice Center’s Executive Director, Cullin J. Smith, issued the following statement in response:

“The murder of Mr. George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department was thoughtless, inhumane and tragically avoidable. His desperate pleas for air and help went unheeded by any of the officers involved in a callous display of police brutality and despicable, cold-hearted violence. We demand full justice for Mr. Floyd and urge the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the US Attorney’s Office to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law to show the world and over-zealous police that our community will not stand for murder by anyone.

The actions of these officers make our communities unsafe and cause many community members to rightfully fear police. There is zero room for racism within our law enforcement community—or anywhere—and if killing is wrong in our society we must hold these officers fully accountable for their actions.”