02/06/2023
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Statement Regarding the Recent Murders of Black Men
February 6, 2023
AURORA,CO- As the nation reacts to another senseless murder of a Black man at the violent hands of police, we are reminded of Fannie Lou Hamer’s words, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
We are sick, ailed by the racism that poisons our healthcare system.
We are tired, exhausted by the barrage of police violence.
We are sick and tired of the systemic white supremacy that murders our Black men.
But we are NOT discouraged or disempowered.
We condemn not only the action of the Memphis Police Department, but the very existence of policing in our community. In 2021, Aurora PD violated federal and state laws through a pattern of racially biased policing and excessive force. A consent decree mandated changes like updating use-of-force policies and diversifying officers. But the most recent deadline on January 13th was missed and IntegrAssure’s (a contractor monitoring the consent decree’s process) latest report describes Aurora police’s “apparent reluctance" to look into use of force incidents when policies are not violated. According to Mapping Police Violence, police have killed 37 Black people in Colorado so far in 2022. Black people are 3.5x more likely to be killed than white people in Colorado.
We have tried body cams, we have tried training, we have passed countless laws across the nation. But the truth is policing will not work. Policing will not work, regardless of the race of the officers, until the systems of white supremacy that dehumanize Black people and sanction violence against the Black community are dismantled.
Therefore, we call on faculty, staff, and students to use their power to advocate for radical change to policing in our community, including: eliminating shoot-to-kill policies, restricting the authority of police in favor of community solutions, permanent dismissal following any use of force violations, and ending monetary restrictions under the qualified immunity ban to ensure police are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law for civil rights violations. Furthermore, as there is no role for policing in healthcare, we advocate for the dismissal of police from our associated hospitals and clinical spaces.
In the words of the ACLU, “It’s past time to end the disparate, ineffective and violent policing of communities of color, and the constant surveillance, targeting and harassment of Black and Brown people. We must stop relying on police to respond to issues related to poverty and disinvestment, which leads to more frequent unnecessary and aggressive actions by law enforcement towards community members. It’s time for us to reimagine the role of police to be far narrower, while investing in supportive, community-based solutions for public safety independent of the criminal legal system”
Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activist. The police assaulted her, beating her while in police custody. And the healthcare system failed her, detecting her breast cancer far too late, and sterilizing her without consent when she sought treatment. Nearly 60 years ago Fannie declared that she is sick and tired of being sick and tired. Let us not go another 60 years with generations of Black people killed by our police and our healthcare system.
With love and support for our Black community,
The University of Colorado School of Medicine Chapter of White Coats for Black Lives
February 6, 2023 AURORA,CO- As the nation reacts to another senseless murder of a Black man at the violent hands of police, we are reminded of Fannie Lou Hamer’s words, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” We are sick, ailed by the racism that poisons our healthcare system. We are ti...
