Pride at Work Statement on the Deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile

For Immediate Release

July 7, 2016

Contact: Jerame Davis

jdavis@prideatwork.org

Pride at Work Statement on the Deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile

Washington, DC - Following the recent police-involved shootings of two black men - Alton Sterling and Philando Castile - Pride at Work Executive Director, Jerame Davis, issued the following statement:

"Alton Sterling was a father. Philando Castile was a union brother. Their lives mattered, but those lives were taken from them in the blink of an eye by the very people designated to protect and serve us all. The repeated and continuous violations of black bodies is appalling.

"Silence is no longer an option. Shrugging our shoulders and waiting for the next tragedy is not the answer. No fewer than six bills have been introduced in this Congress to attempt to address the outrageous number of police-involved deaths and to curb racial profiling in law enforcement. None of those bills have gotten out of committee.

"This is a national crisis and our federal government needs to act. We will never solve this problem piecemeal - we must tackle it head on and nationwide. There is no other way.

"We call upon Congress to swiftly consider the multitude of options before them to curb these tragedies. The time to act has long past. Black Lives Matter."

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Photos from the Rochester Black Lives Matter rally on July 8th.  Photos by Bess Watts