In a moment when Black people in the District are risking their lives in the hopes of saving the lives of their loved ones, the Council has failed to join us in taking bold steps to transform our communities. If the Council is sincere in its acknowledgment of the scourge of policing, then it must take immediate action.

Our communities deserve justice--and any collusion between elected officials and police to uphold a violent punitive system must end. In that vein, we honor the lives of Raphael Briscoe, Timothy Lionel Williams, Gerald Javon Hall, Terrence Sterling, Marquees Alston, Jeffrey Price, D’Quan Young, and all of the other people whose lives have been tragically lost at the hands of the Metropolitan Police Department.

For decades, police departments have tried to use efforts of reform to partially make amends with communities who continue to be impacted by the deadly violence, harassment, and continual abuse from law enforcement. We will not be hushed into falling for these performative actions. We are the people, and we are calling for the full defunding of police. Policing does not keep our communities safe, we keep our communities safe.

The DC council has not done enough to meet the needs of the community and should divert resources used for policing to community-led programs. The DC budget should reflect the high level of care that Black communities need now.

Our demands include: reducing MPD’s budget until we get to zero, an immediate end to cops in schools, and investment in community resources, including community-led violence interruption independent of law enforcement. Council must also answer the youth-led movement to remove police from DC public and charter schools by ending all police and security officers’ contracts before the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. Our students deserve safe and healthy school environments free from police.

Divest from Policing:

• Reject the proposed $18.5 million increase to the police budget for the fiscal year 2021; including the $2.5 million proposed to add additional police in schools and deny any future MPD budget expansion proposals

• Cut police salaries and FTEs (full-time employees) across the board

• Deny any funding for public relations

• Deny $5 million proposed for new jail construction

• Remove police from D.C. public and charter schools

• Continue decreasing the MPD budget every year and investing more in programs that keep our communities alive and well

Invest in community:

• Invest funds diverted from MPD to community resources, including a city-wide expansion of community violence interrupters within schools and the broader community that are independent of law enforcement.

Divesting from the police and investing in our community is critical to the well-being of all of our neighbors. Black trans and cis women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming lives matter, and we must create the conditions that support everyone to thrive. Abolition of police and prisons is not just about defunding and dismantling oppressive systems, but about building up relationships and resources that honor our ability to repair harm and self-govern our communities. DC council must take immediate steps to adopt these demands in the current legislative cycle. The need to create a safer, healthier city is urgent, and the DC Council must act now.