About
The killing of civilians by organizations sworn to serve and protect has been a part of the American landscape since the earliest organized police departments. Many were accidental, and unfortunately, some were purposeful. Many reasons are given for these shootings, beatings, and chokings, but they present a pattern – “they were running away,” “he reached for my gun,” “she was reaching for a weapon,” “he ran at me in a threatening way” . . .
The combination of Social Media and an awakening national justice movement, in large part catalyzed by the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has brought new awareness to the issue of abuse of force and police shootings. As a result, protests and demonstrations are taking place around the country, and even the world. While Trinity UCC is working with churches and other institutions on systemic solutions to the problems, it is incumbent for us to also educate our youth and young adults on survival skills in dealing with the current environment.
The purpose of this website, and the various tools located here, is to provide an opportunity for small community conversations – around the kitchen table, in the family room, or on the porch – so that adults, and the young people they love, can share critical information that can save lives. Our prayer is that this will reduce the number of preventable deaths and injuries through better preparation of our youth in their interactions with police officers, while also assuring they take full advantage of their legal rights.
We encourage you to share your experiences using these tools with us so that we can post additional, real world, information on our various communications platforms, and perhaps use them in updates and revisions to our various documents.
“African American youth are under attack - by an indifferent education system, an inadequate health and mental health system, and a criminal injustice system. We must do everything we can to save this generation.”
– Rev. Attorney Aaron McLeod