Dream Defenders, an organization committed to developing the next generation of “radical leaders,” is demanding a national response to police murders of Black and Brown youth.
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“From Ferguson to Miami, Black and Brown body after Black and Brown body has been battered, abused, and murdered by those who are sworn to serve and to protect. One by one, police officers are killing members of our community and it is time to take action,” reads a press release issued by the Dream Defenders.
Because state courts are failing to prosecute these officers, the organization is calling on the U.S. Attorney General’s offices to take charge.
“We are asking for young people across this nation to go to the U.S. Attorney’s Office near you and demand change. The police won’t protect us, so now we go above them,” commented Shamile Louis, the Bloc Leader for the Defenders, in the release.
The group has issued a list of police reform demands, which include front face cameras for officers nationwide, mandating officers who fire their weapons to be suspended without pay pending further investigation, and demilitarizing departments across the country.
“This is a national problem and we need to make it clear that people in every corner of this country are insisting on change,” the Defenders posted on their website.
The group is also organizing #HandsUp actions honoring slain Ferguson, Mo., teen Michael Brown and imploring others to do so. Visit their website for more information.
Watch a Dream Defenders video about the #handsup movement here:
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