[Image includes a statement about systematic racism, and a timeline of police brutality cases since 1955 of signatories of the U.S. Human Rights Network letter, including Emmet Till, Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd . Infographic Reads:”#BlackLivesMatter”. Infographic made by Eman Khatri. ]
By Eman Khatri, Intern
Black Lives Matter. Police violence and repression of protests in the United States is a human rights violation.
These names scrape just the surface of America’s violent oppression of Black people. Black families across America and around the world experience systemic racism everyday. It is our responsibility, as a network that fights for equity, to advocate for and support BIPOC. In response to the recent murder of George Floyd, the U.S. Human Rights Network wrote a letter to the UN Human Rights Council, urging them to convene a Special Session. IANGEL is a signatory of this letter, along with 600 other organizations and the family members of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, and Michael Brown.
The goal of the Special Session is to conduct an independent inquiry to fully examine racist policing and uses of excessive force against peaceful protestors and journalists. The letter states that, “the inquiry should report its findings to the Human Rights Council and should include recommendations on how to ensure that the United States upholds its human rights obligations, including in the context of policing, protests and assemblies. Further, the report should address the responsibility of the United States to end impunity for police violence and other serious human rights violations through appropriate disciplinary actions, prosecutions and fair trials.” Rubber bullets, tear gas, and pepper spray are in violation of international standards, as outlined in the U.N. Guidance on Less Lethal Weapons. You can read more about this letter and view all the signatories here.
The resolution passed, but with numerous changes due to conflicting responses from the Human Rights Council. Professor Gay McDougall of Fordham Law School helps us understand the complexities of this response. She writes that some delegates were “threatening to impact the foreign assistance to their countries unless all references to the US [were] deleted along with the call for the establishment of a commission of inquiry—even demanding the name of George Floyd be deleted. Over the next few days, the forces against us succeeded in watering down the resolution until only its bare bones remained.” Regardless, this is an important step in the right direction. The High Commissioner of the Human Rights Council will be asked to create a comprehensive report on systematic racism.
IANGEL strongly believes in creating a more just and equitable society for Black Americans. Systemic racism persists in every aspect of our lives. In the health sector, Black people are not taken seriously at hospitals. These racial biases have real, tangible costs. Black mothers are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications. Black people have shorter life spans than white people due to racial biases in health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Black people are also hit twice as hard by joblessness and high mortality rates, when compared to other racial demographics. We live in cities and towns that have a history of laws designed to keep Black people away from socio-economic success. As lawyers and constituents we must write to local public officials asking them to create legislation that ensures that Black Americans are safe from police violence.
We all play a part in upholding racial biases when we fail to educate ourselves and our children about the history and present violence against Black people. Whether it is 1955 or 2020, America still has a long way to go in terms of ensuring equity and justice for all. America must be a leader in human rights advocacy and that starts with each and every one of us, so we encourage you to take a few minutes out of your day to read, listen, protest, and donate.
