Statement of Support in Response to the Death of George Floyd and the Ongoing ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement

Statement by The Equal Justice Project

On the 25th May 2020 in Minneapolis, George Floyd, an African American man, died after being forcefully pinned down and choked by a Police Officer for more than 8 minutes. In some of his final words, attempting to gasp for air, Mr. Floyd repeatedly said “I can’t breathe”. In begging for something so simple, yet so necessary to sustaining human life, Mr. Floyd was denied his decency, his human rights, his rights as a citizen and most of all his life.

As shocking and disturbing as it is, Mr Floyd’s murder is not an anomaly. It represents only a single instance of the systemic oppression African Americans face daily:

African Americans make up an estimated 13.4% of the population in the USA, yet account for more than 50% of all people incarcerated.
They are 5 times more likely to be incarcerated than white Americans.
They are 3 times more likely to be killed by police than white Americans.
Despite accounting for around 13% of the population, African Americans accounted for 24% of police killings in 2019.
98% of those African Americans killed by police from 2013-2019 have not resulted in the relevant officers being charged.

This all occurs against the long history of slavery, discrimination and segregation under Jim Crow laws of African Americans and a denial of the same rights and privileges that white Americans have; creating a continuous cycle of institutional and systemic racism.

We also acknowledge that New Zealand’s own history of colonisation has resulted in similar structural biases, exacerbated by the forced dissolution of Māori social structures and dispossession of whenua. Racial discrimination against people of colour takes place in many shapes and forms, especially against Māori in our legal system:

Our indigenous population accounts for 16.5% of the New Zealand population yet make up more than 50% of the prison population; with more than 60% of the women’s prison population being Māori women.
18% of convicted Māori are given a prison sentence compared with 11% of Pākehā.
Two thirds of Māori released from prison return to prison in two years, compared to just half of Pākehā.
They are twice as likely to experience racial discrimination and 1.5 times more likely to experience a physical or verbal attack than anyone else.

These are just some statistics reflecting how Māori are disproportionately affected by our justice system. It is of particular relevance considering recent trials of routinely armed police forces. Current police commissioner, Andrew Coster, is yet to emphatically rule out the continued use of armed police. His silence on the issue increases tensions in our most vulnerable communities and the effects this will have on our Māori community remain to be seen.

With this background, among further considerations, we the ‘Equal Justice Project’ – a student led pro-bono charity based at the University of Auckland’s Law School - would like to share our firm support and stand in solidarity with the African American community in the USA, all indigenous populations, minority groups and everyone who faces racial oppression or persecution. We applaud how these communities have undertaken peaceful protests over the past few days.

We see and hear your anger and frustration. Your powerful voices have reached across the globe all the way to New Zealand. We would also like to firmly stand with our Māori community against the racism and systemic bias they experience on a daily basis. We hear you, we stand with you, we oppose this injustice with you.

EJP actively advocates for social equality, inclusivity and fair access to justice for all. We oppose all forms of injustice and oppression and believe it is our duty to speak up and use our voices to battle these.

Racism, oppression and injustice are never acceptable, whatever form they take. With this in mind, we turn to the people who live their lives without being fearful of a justice system that is supposed to work fairly for all. We ask you to listen to the voices of those that are in pain and suffering, to educate yourself on the facts and recognise the privilege that you have. Most importantly, we encourage you to act in a peaceful manner and speak up to stop injustice and oppression wherever it may arise. Silence in this instance perpetrates further injustice.

In closing, we, the Equal Justice Project, hear your voices, we stand with you wholeheartedly and we firmly oppose injustice.

We all have a duty to speak up together.

Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.

If you would like to stand up against injustice and oppression in these areas you may like to:

Donate money to the cause⁣

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Donate without donating money ⁣

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3t6imdaDXrjUtiJ1ccVF-ac3I_2S6p0e

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Sign a petition ⁣

https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforfloyd_george_floyd_minneapolis

Educate yourself to recognise racist behaviour ⁣