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In Wake Of Chauvin Verdict, Faith Leaders From Across The Country Call For Continued Police Accountability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS

Louie Tan Vital, louie@newheightscommunications.com, (425) 330-5787

Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org, (540) 280-3393

In Wake Of Chauvin Verdict, Faith Leaders From Across The Country Call For Continued Police Accountability 

Faith leaders joined by mother of Columbus, OH man fatally shot by police

**Interviews Available**

Nationwide – Following the jury’s guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, killing him, faith leaders from across the country convened in a virtual press conference to condemn white supremacy in policing, police brutality, and to call for continued justice and accountability. 

Faith leaders from Washington DC, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New York, and Ohio joined together to mourn the life of George Floyd and demand both accountability for all the lives lost to police brutality and transformational change that promotes safety for Black and Brown communities. 

For video of the event, click here

Ms. Adrienne Hood, True Love Ministries (Columbus, OH)

“My son, Henry Green V, was gunned down by two plain clothes police officers in an unmarked vehicle on a really beautiful summer day. I don’t like to use the term justice only because justice for me would be having my son back. I am fighting for accountability. It has been a long five years.” 

Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Middle Collegiate Church (New York, NY)

“If we, people of faith, are going to sync up with God’s dream, then we have to sync up with the sanctity of life. We have to sync up for reforming policing, for de-militarizing policing. We have to defund police departments that value death instead of life and we can’t be afraid to talk about it.” 

Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Bend the Arc Jewish Action (Washington, DC)

“Yesterday’s verdict does not change the fact that George Floyd no longer walks this earth, while Derek Chauvin still has his life. But the teshuva – the repentance – that calls to us, is not about an individual incident, or a specific trial — no matter the significance. The teshuvah that America is called on to make is about our society itself — and how it has and continues to treat Black bodies. For centuries, infinitely precious Black human beings, created in the divine image, have been enslaved, dehumanized, disenfranchised and murdered, with the permission and encouragement of a false God – the idolatry of White Supremacy. The Jewish community is committed to Black lives and Black liberation.”

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, National Council of Jewish Women

“We must not rest until we create not only systems that periodically offer up appropriate measures of baseline accountability, but systems that are truly just. There are so many ways to do this work. Donate, march, call elected officials, become elected officials, remember that this has to happen on every level of society, in every institution, in every way.” 

Rev. Reginald Gundy, Pastor, Mt. Sinai Baptist Church (Jacksonville, FL)

“We’re deeply grateful for the accountability. We can never change our streets to battlegrounds without the love of God without just laws. The work doesn’t stop here. Our hearts are heavy. We must confront injustice for every family that time & time again are denied their humanity.”

Rev. James Woodall, Georgia NAACP President (Marietta, GA)

“I believe God is angry because there has been Black blood drained in our streets. The police practices and the white supremacist institutions are continuing to allow the types of violence that we see drain our lives of love, justice, righteousness, and puts us into a darkness of despair that only God can heal.” 

Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life (Washington, DC)

“I’m grateful for the verdict, which affirms George Floyd’s fundamental dignity and hopefully brings a small measure of relief to his grieving family. We know that we are not healed. Even as the trial was underway we witnessed more acts of police brutality against unarmed people of color. And even as it concluded 16 year old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot and killed by police in Columbus, Ohio. We can’t afford to move on while the white supremacy and Christian nationalism grinds the children of God to dust and kills people like George Floyd.”

Rev. Dr. Susan Smith, Founder, Crazy Faith Ministries (Columbus, Ohio)

“Anger can give us courage that we don’t normally have. We are supposed to be angry as human beings. Let your anger be used by God in order to bring about the change all of us deserve. We were all created by God… I ache for all of the families of people who have been killed by police with no justice, but I hope that our anger will ignite the fire within us to do the work and the will of God as moral leaders.”

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Faith in Public Life is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, with a network of over 50,000 leaders, they are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level that affirms our values and the human dignity of all.

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