Walter Scott Matters. #blacklivesmatter

 

You've probably seen—or at least read about—the gut-wrenching video from South Carolina, in which a white police officer, Michael T. Slager, can be seen shooting an unarmed black man, Walter L. Scott, in the back eight times as he flees the scene.

The video contradicts the self-defense story told by officer Slager about the fatal shooting. It tells the truth about the culture of policing in America today – about how black men and communities of color are brutalized, and excessive force is easily explained away.

We cannot let this continue. Not one more day, not one more unarmed black man senselessly gunned down execution style, snatched from his family far too soon.

Time to shut it down from the top – join over 60,000 other ACLU supporters and tell the DOJ, DHS, and DOD to stop funding the siege on communities of color.

In the video, it appears as if the officer plants evidence to support his story, after gunning Walter Scott down. You can see him handcuff the dying man rather than provide medical attention. Why is no one trying to save him?

What would the current conversation around Walter Scott be if there hadn’t been this video? What would you be reading in the news? And how often does this happen in America, unseen by a camera?

It’s time for us all to stand up and shout from the rooftops – this must end.

It’s up to us to call for a drastic shift in the culture of policing, one that involves addressing racial profiling, excessive force, and the heavy militarization of local police forces.

It’s up to you to take a stand for what’s right. Will you join us? Sign today.

The police, armed to the teeth, continue to treat us like the enemy, especially if we’re black, young, poor, or homeless.

What will it take for police to start protecting communities of color, instead of waging war on them? It’s up to us to make sure the police understand that our communities are not warzones, and we are not the enemy.

We need systemic change so we can stop this constant recitation of names, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott. Not one more.

Stopping the funding and incentivizing of police militarization is a crucial first step to ending this war. Make it stop.