Liberating America

• Calling for police reform is your right and duty as a citizen. Not only is it the ethically right thing to do, but as a taxpayer, you pay the salaries of law enforcement officers through your taxes. When police abuse their trust and authority, we must speak out and hold them accountable
• Muslims are required to stand up for justice (Quran 4:135) no matter who the victim or perpetrator is. By remaining silent on this issue, we are perpetuating a system that has abused countless innocent people  
• How can your local Masjid or Islamic center get involved in a discussion about police reform? 
• Are you and your Masjid or Islamic center familiar with existing bills and measures being discussed at the federal level for police reform, like the #8CantWait initiative? What about the federal bill to reform policing introduced by Democrats last week?
• Is there an existing organization in your city or town focused on police reform that you can get involved with individually, as well as with your local Masjid or Islamic center?
• Are you satisfied with the plan your elected leaders have for reform in police supervision and the criminal justice system?

Action Points
Please continue to look for protests and rallies in your city and participate peacefully.

• June 19th: Commemorate Juneteenth in your community: Read this article to learn about Juneteenth and see what programs in your city are being organized around this day that celebrates the end of slavery in America. Read an article about Juneteenth by Sr. Zahirah Eppard, Director Religious Education at Sound Vision.

Talking Points
Online and offline, through your social media handles, in letters to the editor, as well as through call-in talk shows, emphasize the following points:

• Virtually every profession has some kind of board that holds its professionals accountable for misconduct. For example, if a doctor abuses a patient, s/he loses their license to practice medicine. Why is such a system not in place for police officers? Consider this statistic: 99% of killings by police from 2013-2019 did not result in officers being charged with a crime
• Why are taxpayers paying the salaries of police officers who remain in their departments despite clear evidence or a track record of abuse or murder?
• Why do most police officers remain silent when one of their own violates their oath to “serve and protect” their communities?
• Why were there only 27 days in 2019 when police did not kill someone in the U.S.?
• Why are Black people three times more likely to be killed by police than white people?
• More blacks were unarmed than whites when they were killed by police. Why?