Las Vegas DSA Condemns the Public Execution of George Floyd at the Hands of the Minneapolis Police

Press Statement for Immediate Release

We, the Las Vegas chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, fully support the DSA National Political Committee statement condemning the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minnesota Police. The full text of the statement is below:

We, the National Political Committee of the Democratic Socialists of America, condemn the public execution of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. His murder falls into the deeply entrenched pattern of violence, anti-Blackness, and oppression upheld by policing in this country. There is no justification for it, only contempt for the institution that would force George Floyd to gasp Eric Garner’s words, “I can’t breathe,” six years later. This is white supremacy. We refuse to euphemize it by calling it “hate” or “fear:” we will aim to give justice to those who’ve been brutalized by police by naming white supremacy so we can eradicate it.

Racist police violence is not incidental to the capitalist system, it is necessary to maintain its operation. We recognize that as we fight for a better world, it will be the police who threaten our protests, the police who will break up our picket lines, the police who selectively wield their monopoly on violence against Black people and working-class people to protect those with power and privilege. And this moment offers no respite, no opportunity for people to catch their breath as the pandemic continues to decimate Black and brown communities due to the willful inaction of politicians. The disproportionate deaths from COVID-19 are revealing once again how deep racism runs in our society. While the virus is not racist, the system we live in is, and Black people bear the brunt of the crisis.

We firmly believe strong and well-resourced communities do not require repression, and by extension, repressive institutions to keep peace when there is justice. We call on Minneapolis Mayor Frey to stop all state-sanctioned violence and call off the SWAT, the state patrol, the National Guard. We stand with and share the rage of all those who are making themselves heard on the streets after years of being suffocated by policing and poverty, after years of being looted by corporations, landlords, and billionaires.

We will fight for a world where Black people can breathe freely and challenge ourselves to take greater responsibility for abolition, and the courage to pursue a just and liberated future.

For George Floyd. For Breonna Taylor. For Ahmaud Arbery. For Philando Castile.

For Eric Garner.

If you’d like to show financial support to groups on the ground:

Minnesota Freedom Fund , Black Visions Collective, Reclaim Our Block, CTUL 

You can also donate to the official George Floyd Memorial Fund here.

Inquiries

For inquiries, please contact lasvegasdsa@gmail.com