To whom it may concern, 

On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds. We all heard the strained cries for help. George Floyd was murdered. This brutal act sparked a fire all around this country, and justly so. 

As we’ve witnessed the conviction of Derek Chauvin today [April 20], we take a step toward accountability. But this conviction is not enough. It is not justice. Justice won’t exist until there is justice for all. We won’t have justice until all police are held accountable for ripping away parents, children and partners from their families. We need accountability for the murder of Breonna Taylor, of Adam Toledo, of Tamir Rice, of Daunte Wright, of Philando Castile, of Freddie Gray, of Eric Garner, of Michael Brown and for everyone we’ve lost.

Derek Chauvin isn’t the only one who is guilty of murder. It’s time that we accepted that fact and worked to make the change that’s necessary. Our criminal justice system is broken. Our police force is broken. They need not to just be reformed with impotent neoliberal measures, they need to be remade. We need restorative justice. We need community policing. We need to defund and demilitarize the police. These systems of oppression must be dismantled. 

State violence, racism, social exclusion, class exploitation and police brutality will never be allowed to exist without a fight. Hundreds of thousands of people all across the country and around the world are filled with feelings of anger and rage, frustration and discontent. The Democratic Socialists at Shippensburg University give them our unwavering support and encourage them to continue their fight for a world without racism, discrimination, injustice and exploitation. As an organization, we proudly chant: “No Justice, No Peace.”

Young Democratic Socialists at Shippensburg University

Share