Statement on the Death of George Floyd – a victim of police brutality:
The Islamic Association of Greater Hartford Strongly condemns the violent treatment by police officers of George Floyd that lead to his death. Our nation and our communities are grieving Mr. Floyd’s murder and the brutal death of many others, especially Blacks/African Americans and people of color. Our hearts and prayers go to the families and friends of victims, from George Floyd to Ahmaud Arbery and many others who were victims of police brutality.
Racial minorities are being unjustly victimized and even killed at the hands of some in law enforcement in the United States. It is unfortunate that the judicial system is not geared to adequately protect against this form of abuse. We call for criminal justice reform that will result in the appropriate accountability for these criminal police officers.
Police departments are established for the protection of the community they serve, and as such, should be responsible for treating their assigned communities with respect and fairness. Unfortunately, that is not happening at the present time. It seems we have a system that associates Blackness with criminality which has resulted in unreasonable use of deadly force on Blacks/ African Americans and people of color who are considered to be guilty until proven otherwise as opposed to the innocent until proven guilty which is how it should be.
In the wake of this tragedy, the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford calls on all Americans to stand together to condemn police brutality, demand criminal justice reform, and to work towards better understanding of race and race relations by law enforcement throughout the United States of America. We pray that this will be a pivotal moment that brings real change that our communities no longer have to live and travel in fear due to the color of our skin or the race we belong to. We are one nation under God and all of us are worthy of living free of prejudice in this nation we all love regardless of our race or color.