---
title: "Civil Society to United Nations: International community must take action against police brutality and systematic racism"
slug: "civil-society-to-united-nations-international-community-must-take-action-against-police-brutality-and-systematic-racism"
post_type: "post"
published_at: "2021-05-19T17:04:39+01:00"
modified_at: "2022-10-04T15:05:30+01:00"
author: "CIHRS"
url: "https://cihrs.org/civil-society-to-united-nations-international-community-must-take-action-against-police-brutality-and-systematic-racism/?lang=en"
category:
  - "International Advocacy Program"
causes_and_rights:
  - "Segregation and racial discrimination"
country:
  - "Other"
field:
  - "Regional and International Protection and Advocacy"
interest:
  - "Statements and Positions"
protection_and_advocacy:
  - "United Nations Mechanisms"
---

# Civil Society to United Nations: International community must take action against police brutality and systematic racism

In a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, over 270 civil society organizations from around the world, and 171 families of victims of police violence, called on her to support the establishment of an independent inquiry into police violence and provide recommendations for a national plan of action to address systemic racism and racial discrimination in the United States. In a second letter addressed to the African delegations of the United Nations, the organizations urged the governments to continue their critical engagement and ensure that the Council establishes a mechanism to investigate systemic racism in law enforcement.

H.E. Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais Wilson 52 rue des Pâquis CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland 10 May 2021 Re: The UN Human Rights Council’s role to ensure effective accountability and follow-up to HRC Resolution 43/1

Dear High Commissioner,

The families of victims of police violence and undersigned civil society organizations write with regard to the implementation of Human Rights Council resolution ([A/HRC/43/1](https://undocs.org/A/HRC/RES/43/1)) on the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against systemic racism, excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers.

We appreciate your response to [our calls](https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/20.08.05_updated_letter_to_hc_of_unhrc_on_res_racist_police_violence.pdf), in particular your [affirmation to the Council](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26326&LangID=E) that the report will reflect and amplify the voices of victims who are people of African descent, their families and communities. We also welcome that the report will examine the root causes that have enabled systemic racism and police violence, [including](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26921&LangID=E) the legacies of enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, and its context of colonialism. We appreciate the broad outreach to civil society and the organization of several regional and national-level consultations over the past months and your recognition of the indispensable role of civil society in the process of preparing the report.

As you rightly [stated ](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26326&LangID=E)in your update to the Council, we cannot let the urgency felt in the Council in June 2020 subside. We share your assessment that the Council “can contribute to making this moment a critical turning point in the respect and protection of the human rights of people of African descent.”

In light of [your update ](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26921&LangID=E)to the Council that the report will “recommend an agenda for transformative change to dismantle systemic racism and police brutality against Africans and people of African descent, and to advance accountability and redress for victims”, we wish to make the following recommendations and suggestions regarding the Council’s role to ensure effective accountability and follow-up. While we appreciate that the call for inputs reflected many of our [recommendations](https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/20.08.05_updated_letter_to_hc_of_unhrc_on_res_racist_police_violence.pdf), we note that it did not include a specific question on the Council’s role in this regard.

The families of victims of police violence and many of our organizations have [called ](https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/families-rights-groups-demand-un-investigate-us-police-brutality-protest-suppression)on the Council to mandate an independent inquiry into the killings and violent law enforcement responses to protests, including the attacks against protesters and journalists in the United States. The Special Procedures [strongly urged ](https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25969&LangID=E)the Council to establish a commission of inquiry to “investigate systemic racism in law enforcement in the United States” and a “thematic commission of inquiry or other mechanism empowered to investigate systemic racism in law enforcement globally, especially where it is related to legacies of colonialism and transatlantic slavery.”

While we commend the Biden administration for leading a [cross-regional joint statement](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yUbi7pmAB8h-X0LhoekWUUE2MLmZxFzn/edit) on countering racism and signaling other policy changes to address racial inequities, we believe that a robust international accountability mechanism would further support and complement, not undermine, efforts to dismantle systemic racism in the United States, especially in the context of police violence against people of African descent.

Police in the United States [kill nearly 1,000 people ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/)every year. The epidemic of police violence has been directly and disproportionately targeted at people of color. Indigenous People and people of African descent experience the highest rates of fatal police shootings, followed by Latinx people. For example, in 2019, Black and Indigenous people were [approximately three](https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/aclu_the_other_epidemic_fatal_police_shootings_2020.pdf) [times more likely than white people ](https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/aclu_the_other_epidemic_fatal_police_shootings_2020.pdf)to be fatally shot by police. One study found that young unarmed male victims of deadly force by police are [13 times more likely ](https://www.pnas.org/content/117/3/1263)to be Black than white. Stunningly, for young men of color, police use of force is now among [the leading causes of](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793) [death](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793). While there is a dearth of research examining racial disparities in police killings among non-male and nonbinary populations, some data indicates that although women are less likely than men to be killed by police overall, [Black women ](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793)and [Indigenous women ](https://www.minneapolisfed.org/%7E/media/assets/articles/2020/fatal-encounters-between-native-americans-and-the-police/fatal-encounters-between-native-americans-and-the-police_march-2020.pdf?la=en%20%20)are more likely to be killed by police than white women. Furthermore, while police killings are [higher in high-](https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2020/06/23/class-and-racial-inequalities-in-police-killings/) [poverty areas than low-poverty areas ](https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2020/06/23/class-and-racial-inequalities-in-police-killings/)for all racial groups, Black people who live in more affluent areas are almost as likely to be killed by police as white people who live in the poorest areas.

Although exact statistics are difficult to find, more often than not, officers are not investigated or prosecuted for the killings of civilians. [98.3 percent of killings by police ](https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/)from 2013- 2020 have not resulted in officers being charged with a crime. Between 2005 and 2015, [only 54 officers were charged ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/04/11/thousands-dead-few-prosecuted/?utm_term=.90c3d610122a)after police-involved killings, despite the thousands of such incidents that occurred over the same time period. Impunity for police killings in the United States, especially those of people of African descent, continues unabated despite the recent settlement in the George Floyd civil lawsuit and the guilty verdict against Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis City police officer who murdered him. Furthermore, federalism in the United States, long-standing legal obstacles to achieving justice for police killings, and decentralized police institutions of over 18,000 law enforcement agencies (that are not directly accountable to the federal Executive Branch) make it extremely daunting to end impunity, even for well-intentioned federal Administrations.

We recall that the [original draft resolution ](https://undocs.org/A/HRC/43/L.50)called on the Council to establish these mechanisms; however, the Council adopted a watered-down resolution due to enormous diplomatic pressure from the United States under the Trump administration and other allied countries.

We urge you to support the calls made by victims’ families, civil society and Special Procedures by including in the report specific recommendations to the Council in this regard. We also urge you to remind Member States that [the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism were](https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Durban_text_en.pdf) [grave violations of international law ](https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Durban_text_en.pdf)that require States to make reparations proportionate to the harms committed and to ensure that structures in the society that are perpetuating the injustices of the past are transformed. Furthermore, we urge you to call on Member States to adopt a national plan of action to eliminate systemic racism and racial discrimination and to double their efforts and allocation of resources to achieve racial equality including through the adoption of reparations schemes to remedy historic racial injustices.

Please accept our sincerest gratitude and appreciation for the enormous work you do each day as the world’s collective human rights conscience.

**Sincerly,**

(Find Below)

---

To: Ministers of Foreign Affairs of African States CC: Permanent Representatives of African States in Geneva 10 May 2021 Re: The UN Human Rights Council’s role to ensure effective accountability and follow-up to HRC Resolution 43/1

Dear Excellencies,

The families of victims of police violence and undersigned civil society organizations write with regard to the follow up to Human Rights Council resolution ([A/HRC/43/1](https://undocs.org/A/HRC/RES/43/1)) on “the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers.”

We appreciate your governments’ leadership at the Council and your support to the demands made by victims’ families, civil society organizations, and Special Procedures in the context of the[ urgent debate ](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25971&LangID=E)on the “current racially inspired human rights violations, systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests”. We urge your governments to continue supporting these demands in the follow up resolution at the 47th session of the Council.

During her first oral update, the UN High Commissioner [affirmed ](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26326&LangID=E)to the Council that the report will reflect and amplify the voices of victims of people of African descent, their families, and communities. She also affirmed that the report will examine the root causes that have enabled systemic racism and police violence [including ](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26921&LangID=E)the legacies of enslavement, the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, and its context of colonialism.

We share the High Commissioner’s[ assessment ](https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26326&LangID=E)that we cannot let the urgency felt in the Council in June 2020 subside, and that the Council “can contribute to making this moment a critical turning point in the respect and protection of the human rights of people of African descent.”

We consider that the Council’s role on these issues should not end with the presentation of the final report at the 47th session, but rather should maintain its engagement. **We wish to make the following recommendations and suggestions regarding the Council’s role to ensure effective accountability and follow-up**.

The families of victims of police violence and many of our organizations have [called ](https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/families-rights-groups-demand-un-investigate-us-police-brutality-protest-suppression)on the Council to mandate an independent inquiry into the killings and violent law enforcement responses to protests, including the attacks against protesters and journalists in the United States. The Special Procedures[ strongly urged ](https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25969&LangID=E)the Council to establish a commission of inquiry to “investigate systemic racism in law enforcement in the United States”.

While we commend the Biden administration for leading a [cross-regional joint statement](https://geneva.usmission.gov/2021/03/19/joint-statement-on-racism/) on countering racism and signaling other policy changes to address racial inequities, we believe that a robust international accountability mechanism would further support and complement, not undermine, efforts to dismantle systemic racism in the United States, especially in the context of police violence against people of African descent.

Police in the United States [kill ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/)[nearly 1,000 people ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/)every year. The epidemic of police violence has been directly and disproportionately targeted at people of color. Indigenous People and people of African descent experience the highest rates of fatal police shootings, followed by Latinx people. For example, in 2019, Black and Indigenous people were [approximately three](https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/aclu_the_other_epidemic_fatal_police_shootings_2020.pdf) [times more likely than white people ](https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/aclu_the_other_epidemic_fatal_police_shootings_2020.pdf)to be fatally shot by police. One study found that young unarmed male victims of deadly force by police are [13 times more likely ](https://www.pnas.org/content/117/3/1263)to be Black than white. Stunningly, for young men of color, police use of force is now among [the leading causes of](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793) [death](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793). While there is a dearth of research examining racial disparities in police killings among non-male and nonbinary populations, some data indicates that although women are less likely than men to be killed by police overall, [Black ](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793)[women ](https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793)and [Indigenous ](https://www.minneapolisfed.org/%7E/media/assets/articles/2020/fatal-encounters-between-native-americans-and-the-police/fatal-encounters-between-native-americans-and-the-police_march-2020.pdf?la=en%20%20)[women](https://www.minneapolisfed.org/%7E/media/assets/articles/2020/fatal-encounters-between-native-americans-and-the-police/fatal-encounters-between-native-americans-and-the-police_march-2020.pdf?la=en%20%20) are more likely to be killed by police than white women. Furthermore, while police killings are [higher in high-](https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2020/06/23/class-and-racial-inequalities-in-police-killings/) [poverty areas than low-poverty areas ](https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2020/06/23/class-and-racial-inequalities-in-police-killings/)for all racial groups, Black people who live in more affluent areas are almost as likely to be killed by police as white people who live in the poorest areas.

Although exact statistics are difficult to find, more often than not, officers are not investigated or prosecuted for the killings of civilians. [98.3 percent of killings by police ](https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/)from 2013- 2020 have not resulted in officers being charged with a crime. Between 2005 and 2015, [only 54 officers were charged ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2015/04/11/thousands-dead-few-prosecuted/?utm_term=.90c3d610122a)after police-involved killings, despite the thousands of such incidents that occurred over the same time period. Impunity for police killings in the United States, especially those of people of African descent, continues unabated despite the recent settlement in the George Floyd civil lawsuit and the guilty verdict against Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis City police officer who murdered him. Furthermore, federalism in the United States, long-standing legal obstacles to achieving justice for police killings, and decentralized police institutions of over 18,000 law enforcement agencies (that are not directly accountable to the federal Executive Branch) make it extremely daunting to end impunity, even for well- intentioned federal Administrations.

**Systemic racism in law enforcement globally also requires thematic engagement by the Council**. The Special Procedures [urged ](https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25969&LangID=E)the Council to take action to address the issue of systemic racism in law enforcement against people of African descent and others, that is of genuine concern in many parts of the world. In this regard, they strongly urged the Council to establish a “thematic commission of inquiry or other mechanism empowered to investigate systemic racism in law enforcement globally, especially where it is related to legacies of colonialism and transatlantic slavery” and stressed that both measures are necessary and cannot be substituted for one another.

We recall that the[ original draft resolution](https://undocs.org/A/HRC/43/L.50) proposed by the African Group called on the Council to establish these mechanisms; however, the Council adopted a watered-down resolution due to enormous diplomatic pressure from the United States under the Trump Administration and other allied countries.

We acknowledge the existence of a number of relevant mechanisms established by the Council, and we consider that the current context provides an opportunity to review them and strengthen the effectiveness of the Council’s work against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance.

As we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and its outcome documents, (The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action), we urge your governments to continue your critical engagement on these issues and ensure that at its 47th session, the Council establishes the above- mentioned mechanisms and mandates the requisite resources to actually make a difference in the lives of the millions of people in the United States and around the world who are subject to systemic racism especially in the context of violence by law enforcement.

Sincerely,

**The Families of the Victims of Police Brutality, by year that they lost their loved one:**

**2021**

The Family of **Daunte Wright**, killed by Brooklyn Center, MN Police Kenisha Kinard, son **Daverion Kinard** killed by Fontana, CA Police Melody S. Cooper, son **Kwamena Appah Fynn Ocran**, killed by Gaithersburg, MD Police

**2020**

Philonise Floyd & Quincy Mason, brother & father **George Floyd** killed by Minneapolis, MN Police Addie Kitchen, son **Steven DeMarco Taylor** killed by San Leandro, CA Police Adrienne Moore, son **Derick Lamar Powe**, killed by Daphne, AL Police Amy Fizer, daughter **Hannah Renee Fizer** killed by Pettis County, MO Police Cathy Denise Legato, son **Anthony Legato** killed by Pine County, MN Sheriff Jeannie Williams, son **John Henry Ross II** killed by Harrisonburg City Police, Rockingham County VA Sheriffs, and VA State Police Paula Watson Livingstone, son **Timothy Darryl Sides Jr.** killed by Caldwell County, NC Sheriff

**2019**

Deborah Sanchez, daughter **Jorden Marie Simms** died in Graham County, AZ Police custody Desiree Lauren, son **Sterling Humbert** killed by Carrollton, TX Police Donna Marie Martin, brother **Andre Cartel Gladen** killed by Portland Oregon, Police Irma Woodard-Duncklee, son **Michael Lee Duncklee** killed by Tucson, AZ Police Joanne Rojas, son **Josiah Pinner** killed by Hillsborough County, FL Sheriff Kim Vaughn, former husband **Mohammad Isaifan** killed by Akron, OH Police Lisa Finch, daughter **Adelina Finch** killed by Wichita, KS Police Roxane Johnson, son **Jamaal K. Byrd** died in Washington, DC Police custody Tammie Atchison Featherstone, nephew **Jimmy Atchison** killed by Atlanta, GA Police Toni Biegert, son **Joseph R. Biegert** killed by Green Bay, WI Police Trena & Quiana Miller, son **TreShun Miller** killed by Arlington, TX Police

**2018**

Azucena Albrethsen, son **Jacob E. Albrethsen** killed by Orem Police Barbara Okamoto, grandson **Christopher A. Okamoto** killed by Bakersfield, CA Police Bernice Roundtree, son **Charles Roundtree Jr.** killed by San Antonio Police Catherine Young, son **D’Quan Young** killed by Washington DC Police Denise Price, son **Jeffrey Price Jr.** killed in collision with Washington, DC Police Iris E. Salazar, daughter **Leslie Salazar** killed by Austin, TX Police Karla Gonsalez, son **Agustin A. Gonsalez** killed by Hayward, CA Police Lisa Vargas, son **Anthony Daniel Vargas** killed by Los Angeles County, CA Sheriff’s Deputies Sabrina Passalaqua Courtroul, son **Tommy Henley** killed by Westminster, CO Police Tessa Andrews-Biele, son **Keaton James Larson** killed by Stillwater, MN Police Tiffany Simpson, son **Logan Simpson** killed by Bixby, OK Police Tynesha Renee Tilson, son **Shali Vladimir Francis Tilson** killed by Rockdale, GA Sheriff

**2017**

Aaron Heather Nordin, brother **Jason Fanning** killed by St. Joseph Police Angelique Negroni-Kearse, husband **Andrew Kearse** killed by Schenectady Police Ann Cortez, son **Santino Trevino II** killed by Los Angeles, CA Police Annice Evans, son **Angel Ramos** killed by Vallejo, CA Police Candance Gipp, brother **G. Ryan Gipp Jr**. killed by Standing Rock Police Department Christine Ann Amaro & Marissa Barrera, son & brother **Michael Anthony Barrera** killed by Woodland, CA Police Constance Joann McGuire, **Tavaris Khalil McGuire** killed by Kokomo Police Cynthia Brown, nephew **Kareen Ali Nadir Jones** killed by Columbus, OH Police Denise Fanning, son **Jason Fanning** killed by St. Joseph, MO Police Dionne Burney, son **Ke’Sharn Burney** killed by Harrison, OH Police Task Force Donna Chisesi, son **Jonathan David Victor** killed by Baldwin County, AL Sheriff’s Office Gina Torres, son **Isaiah Hammett** killed by St. Louis City SWAT/ St. Louis, MO Police James & Kelly Ghaisar, son **Bijan Ghaisar** killed by Park Police in Northern Virginia Kathy Scott-Lykes, son **Jarvis Lykes** killed by Georgia State Troopers Katrina Johnson, cousin **Charleena Lyles** killed by Seattle, WA Police Kimberly Handy-Jones, son **Cordale Q. Handy**, killed by St. Paul, MN Police Krystal Wagner, son **Shane Allen Jensen** killed by Iowa Department of Natural Resources Lethia Kizer, son Darrion Barnhill, killed by Henderson County, TN Police Lisa Finch, son **Andrew Finch** killed by Wichita, KS Police Marion Jones-Tamba, son **Tyler J. Lee** killed by Dekalb County Police Mary ‘Theresa’ Wynne, son **Dominique Tyrell White** killed by Topeka, KS Police Natasha Manning, son **Arties Manning III** killed by New Orleans, LA Police Pochya Mifflin, son **Cedric Jamal Mifflin** killed by Phenix City, AL Police Rosie Chavez, nephew **Jacob Dominguez** killed by San Jose Police Shae Powell, son **James Daniel Jill** killed by Arapahoe County Sheriff Department Tiffany Tabares, son **Dillan Tabares** killed by Huntington Beach, CA Police Valerie Rivera, son **Eric Rivera** killed by Los Angeles, CA Police Department Vanessa Moore, son **Hayden Stutz** killed by Canton, OH Police

**2016**

Adrienne Hood, son **Henry Green** killed by Columbus, OH Police Alice Corley, son **Lionel Vincent Gibson Jr**. killed by Long Beach, CA Police Ayanna Johnson, son **Darius Wimberly** killed by Bent Harbor, MI Police Cruz Weick, son **Sergio Daniel Weick** killed by Vista, CA Sheriff’s Department Dalphine Jabril Robinson, son **Jabril B. Robinson** killed by Clayton County, GA Police Emily Gonzales, son **Jordan Love** killed by Corpus Christi, TX Police Felicia Thomas, son **Nicholas Thomas** killed by Smyrna, GA Police Heather Boland, cousin **Bodhi Phelps** killed by Gresham, OR Police Irene Kalonji, son **Christopher Kalonji** killed by Clackamas, OR Sheriffs & Officers Jacqueline Minifield-Brown, son **D’Londre Minifield** killed by Winchester, VA Police Kia Villarreal, husband **Francisco Villarreal** killed by Bakersfield, CA Police Kim Thomas, son **Earl Shaleek Pickney** killed by Harrisburg, PA Police Kristina Murphy, husband **Christopher Murphy** killed by Woodland, CA Highway Patrol Laura Marquez, son in law **Albert B. Thompson** killed by Ceres, CA Police Lorenza Olivares, son **Elias Portillo** killed by Dallas, TX Police Monteria Robinson, son **Jamarion Robinson** killed by Atlanta, GA Police Pattie Gonzalez, Lulu & Marissa Valenzuela-Ronquillo, and Marie Confinco, husband and nephew **Fermin Vincent Valenzuela** killed by Anaheim, CA Police Rhanda Dormeus, daughter **Korryn Gaines** killed by Baltimore, MD Police Sandy Sanchez, son **Anthony Nunez** killed by San Jose, CA Police Vicki Timpa, son **Tony Timpa** killed by Dallas, TX Police

**2015**

Annemarie Grant, brother **Thomas Purdy** killed by Washoe County Sheriffs & Reno Police Beverly Smith, son **Alonzo Smith**, killed by Special Police Officers in Washington, D.C. Diane Guilford Humphreys, son **Deven Guilford** killed by Eaton County, MI Sheriff Department Dominic Archibald, son **Nathaniel Pickett II** killed by San Bernardino County, CA Sheriff Dorothy Osteen, son **Bertrand Davis** killed by Dallas, TX Police Greg & Tammy Dyksma, son **Nicholas Dyksma** killed by Harris County, GA Deputy Holly Galbraith Hester, son **Delaney Hester** beaten by Keller, TX Police Holly Quigley-Papke, son **Patrick Wetter** killed by Stockton, CA Police Judy Alderman Edens, son **Jason Alderman** killed by Bakersfield Police Kimberly Davis, son **Kimoni Davis** killed by Hanging Rock, OH Police LaToya Howell, son **Justus Howell** killed by Zion, IL Police Lynn Eagle Feather, son **Paul Castaway** killed by Denver, CO Police Department Pamela Fields, cousin **Derrick Hunt** killed by Long Beach, CA Police Sarah Fitch, son **Samuel Toshiro Smith** killed by Seattle, WA Police Sharon Irwin, grandson **Tony Terrell Robinson**, killed by Madison, WI Police Sheila Banks, godson **Corey Jones** killed by Palm Beach Gardens, FL Police Officer Stephanie Babb, brother **Captain Brian Avon Babb** killed by Eugene, OR Police Tania Hudson, son **Deaunte Bell** killed by Columbus, OH Police Tina Taylor, son **Christian Taylor** killed by Arlington, TX Police

**2014**

Cheryl and Deborah Jones, son and nephew **Marquise Jones** killed by San Antonio, TX Police Deanna Joseph, son **Andrew Joseph III** killed by Hillsborough County Sheriff Tampa, FL Denise Rankin, son **DaRon Gaylor Jr**. killed by Flint, MI Police Dorothy Holmes, son **Ronald Johnson III** killed by Chicago, IL Police Gina Thayne, nephew **Dillon Taylor** killed by Salt Lake City Police Isabelle Padilla, son **Joseph Valverde** killed by Denver, CO Police Janet Baker, son **Jordan Baker** killed by Houston, TX Police Jindia Blount, brother **Juan May** killed by Arlington, TX Police Kathy Roberts Gaynier, son **Andrew Gaynier** killed by Dallas, TX Police Laurie Valdez, partner **Antonio Guzman Lopez** killed by San Jose State, CA Police Letty DeLarosa, son **James DeLarosa** killed by Bakersfield, CA Police Lisa Mays-Parramore, son **Kelvin Mays** killed by Garland, TX Police Maria Hamilton, son **Dontre D. Hamilton**, killed by Milwaukee, WI Police Mary Wilsey, son **Keith Vidal** killed by Southport, NC Sheriff Department Michael Brown Sr. & Lezley McSpadden, son **Michael Brown Jr**. killed by Ferguson, MO Police Pamela Brooks, son **Amir De’Mani Brooks** killed by Prince George’s County Police Pamela Fields, nephew **Donte Parker** killed by San Bernardino County Sheriff Patricia L. & Richard Perez, grandson **Richard Pedro Perez III,** killed by Richman, CA Police Shirley & Sean Harrison, son & brother **Jason Harrison** killed by Dallas, TX Police Department Syreeta Myers, son **VonDerrit Myers Jr.** killed by St. Louis, MO Police Tressa Sherrod, son **John H. Crawford III** killed by Beavercreek, OH Police Vanessa White, son **Victor White III** killed by Iberia Parish, LA Sheriff Department Vickie McNeill Williams, son **Tinoris Williams** killed by Palm Beach County, FL Sheriff Department

**2013**

Chantell Brooks, son **Michael Westley** killed by Chicago, IL Police Collette Flanagan, son **Clinton Allen** killed by Dallas, TX Police Jenette Munoz, brother **Salvador Munoz** killed by Dallas, TX Police Kristine Rose, son **Jessie Rose** killed by Utica, NY Police Mary Wills, son **Taylor Thompson** killed by Escambia County, FL Sheriff Milca Perez & Gerardo Pineda Sr., son **Gerardo Pineda Jr**. killed by Dallas, TX Police Montye A. Benjamin, son **Jayvis L. Benjamin** killed by Avondale Estate Police, Decatur, GA Murlene Spinks, son **Anthony Skeaton** killed in Placer County Jail Pamela Fields, son **Donte Jordan** killed by Long Beach, CA Police Royce Eckley, son **Marcus Anthony Merritt Sr**. killed by Louisiana State Police Susana Lopez, son **DeAngelo Lopez** killed by Compton, CA Sheriff Department Tawanda Jones, brother **Tyrone West** killed by Baltimore, MD Police Toni Taylor, son **Cary Ball Jr.** killed by St. Louis, MO Police Tyann Lavonne Salgardo, son **Derek Brown** killed by Tennessee State Troopers Val Greenoak, son **Jesse Hamilton** killed by Santa Rosa Police Department Valarie Carey, sister **Miriam Carey** killed by U.S. Secret Service & Capital Police in Washington D.C. Virginia Bradford, son **Fred Bradford** killed by Dallas, TX Police

**2012**

Amalia Villafane, son **Sebastian Gregory** shot 6 times by Miami-Dade County, FL Police Ashley Harper, brother **James Harper** killed by Dallas, TX Police Cynthia Mitchell, son **Mario Romero** killed by Vallejo, CA Police Genevieve A. Huizar, son **Manuel Diaz** killed by Anaheim, CA Police Jeralynn Brown-Blueford, son **Alan Blueford** killed by Oakland, CA Police Krissy Johnson, father **Inzer Allen Johnson** killed by Rainbow City, AL Police Lydia and Richard Adams, son **Seth Issac Adams** killed by Palm Beach, FL Sheriff Department Martinez Sutton, sister **Rekia Boyd** killed by off-duty Chicago, IL Detective Yolanda McNair, daughter **Adaisha Miller** killed by off-duty Detroit, MI Police

**2011**

Anita Harris, grandson **Dawntrae Ta’Shawn Williams** killed by Gwinnett City, GA Police Anita Willis, grandson **Kerry Baxter** killed by Oakland, CA Police Bridzette Lane, son **Ralphael Briscoe** killed by Washington DC Police Jean Thaxton, son **Michael Lee Nida II** killed by Downey, CA Police

**2000-2010**

Alicia Alvarez, son **Johnathan Cuevas** killed by Los Angeles, CA Sheriff’s Department, 2010 Dionne Smith, son **James Rivera Jr.** killed by Stockton, CA Police, 2010 Theresa Smith, son **Caesar Cruz** killed by Anaheim, CA Police, 2009 Wanda Johnson, son **Oscar Grant** killed by BART Police in Oakland, CA, 2009 Darlene Cain, son **Dale Graham** killed by Baltimore, MD Police, 2008 Lola Jones, son **Derrick Jones** killed by Dallas, TX Police, 2008 Alicia Kirkman, son **Angelo Miller** killed by Cleveland, OH Police, 2007 Antoinette Washington, son **Brandon Washington** killed by Dallas, TX Police, 2007 Corie Angle Cline, brother **Joe Whitehouse** killed by Anaheim, CA Police, 2007 Sandra Lane, nephew **Bobby Walker** killed by Dallas, TX Police, 2007 Theresa James, partner **Jay Martin Murphy Sr.** killed by Albuquerque, NM Police, 2007 Verbena Hawkins, son **Trinton Hawkins** killed by Dallas, TX Police, 2007 Greta Willis, son **Kevin L. Cooper** killed by Baltimore City police, 2006 Kat Espinosa, son **Asa Benjamin Sullivan** killed by San Francisco, CA Police, 2006 Patricia Scott, son **Raemawn Scott** killed by Powder Spring, GA Police, 2003 Deborah Forge, son **Keenen L. Forge** killed by Dallas, TX Police, 2002

**1999-1990**

Marion Gray-Hopkins, son **Gary Hopkins Jr.** killed by Prince George County, MD Police, 1999 Dorothy Copp Elliot, mother **Archie ‘Artie’ Elliot III**, killed by District Heights and Prince George’s County, MD Police. 1993 Vicki & Sara Mokuria, father **Tesfaie Mokuria** killed by Dallas, TX Police, 1992

**Civil Society Organizations, in alphabetical order:**

1. A Healing Paradigm
2. Abolish Slavery National Network
3. Access Now Adalah Justice Project
4. Advocates for Human Rights Africa Solidarity Centre Ireland Africa World Now Project
5. African and Indigenous Knowledge Institute
6. African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
7. African Development Plan
8. Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign
9. Agora International Human Rights Group
10. Agrupación Xango
11. Alaska Community Action on Toxics
12. Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic, Yale Law School
13. Alliance of Families for Justice American Civil Liberties Union
14. American Friends Service Committee
15. American Indian Movement, So Cal
16. American Muslim Empowerment Network (AMEN)
17. American University Washington College of Law, Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law
18. American-Arab Anti- Discrimination Committee (ADC)
19. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain
20. Amnesty International
21. Anti-Racism Education Scotland
22. API Equality - LA Arizona Justice Alliance
23. Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE)
24. Article 19
25. Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA - Greater Chicago Chapter)
26. Association for Civil Rights in Israel
27. Association Tunisienne de Soutien des Minorités
28. Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates
29. AsylumConnect
30. Australian Centre for International Justice
31. Autistic Minority International
32. Autistic Self Advocacy Network
33. Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD)
34. Balanta B'urassa History and Genealogy Society in America
35. Bell Global Justice Institute Best Practices Policy Project
36. Black People Against Police Brutality
37. Brain Injury Association of America
38. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
39. California Families United 4 Justice Network
40. California Immigrant Policy Center
41. Canadian Civil Liberties Association
42. Casa San Jose, Pittsburgh PA
43. Center for Civilians in Conflict
44. Center for Constitutional Rights
45. Center for International Environmental Law
46. Center for Justice and Accountability
47. Center for Policing Equity Center for Reproductive Rights Center for Victims of Torture
48. Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, NYU School of Law
49. Central Arizona National Lawyers Guild
50. Centre for Human Rights Law, SOAS University of London
51. Centre for Human Rights, Birmingham City University
52. Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
53. Centro de Derechos de Mujeres
54. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
55. Check the Sheriff Coalition
56. Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign
57. Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
58. Church World Service
59. Citizens for Global Solutions Minnesota
60. Coalition of African Lesbians
61. Coalition Togolaise des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CTDDH)
62. Coalizão Negra por Direitos, Brazil
63. Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos
64. Commission Indépendante des Droits de l'Homme en Afrique du Nord
65. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
66. Communist Party USA Conectas Direitos Humanos
67. Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces
68. Contra Nocendi International
69. Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience
70. Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide
71. Cornell Gender Justice Clinic Cossart-Daly Law, A.P.C. Defending Rights & Dissent Dejusticia
72. Drug Policy Alliance East Side Jews
73. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
74. EHD Advisory Empathy Surplus Project
75. Foundation
76. Empowered at Dusk Women's Association
77. Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
78. Equal Justice Society Equality Now
79. European Network Against Racism
80. Eyes Right Veteran’s Foundation
81. Families United 4 Justice Network
82. Family Action Network Movement
83. First Defense Legal Aid Four Freedoms Forum Friends of Human Rights Future Coalition
84. The GAP Gyrlz and GAP Gyz Consortium of Human Rights Defenders
85. GATE - Trans, Gender Diverse and Intersex Advocacy in Action
86. Geneva for Human Rights - Global Training
87. Global Health Justice Partnership of Yale Law and Public Health Schools, Yale University
88. Global Human Rights Clinic, University of Chicago Law School
89. Global Justice Center
90. Global Justice Clinic, NYU Law School
91. Global Network of Movement Lawyers
92. Global Rights Advocacy
93. Global Studies Association of North America
94. The Global Union & GU- GHCF
95. GoodWorks: North Alabama Harm Reduction
96. Grassroots Alliance for Justice Grata Fund
97. Green Amendments for The Generations
98. Harm Reduction International Harriet’s Wildest Dreams
99. Hawai'i Institute for Human Rights
100. HEAL Trafficking
101. Heartland Alliance International
102. Hill District Consensus Group
103. Horn Afrik News Agency for Human Rights (HANAHR)
104. Human Rights Advocates
105. Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic, CUNY Law School
106. Human Rights Bahamas
107. Human Rights Campaign
108. Human Rights Clinic, University of Miami School of Law
109. Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)
110. Human Rights Educators USA
111. Human Rights Institute, San Jose State University
112. Human Rights Law Centre Human Rights Law Network
113. Human Rights Litigation and Advocacy Clinic at the University of Minnesota Law School
114. Human Rights Watch Humanitaire Plus
115. Hungarian Civil Liberties Union
116. Implementation Team of the International Decade for People of African Descent-Spain
117. Indian Law Resource Center
118. Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa
119. Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, University of Southern California (USC)
120. International Action Network for Gender Equity & Law (IANGEL)
121. International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination (ICAAD)
122. International Centre for Ethnic Studies
123. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
124. International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM- UN/NGO)
125. International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard Law School
126. International Human Rights Clinic, USC Gould School of Law
127. International Indigenous Youth Council
128. International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
129. International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World)
130. International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)
131. International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
132. International Service for Human Rights
133. International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific)
134. International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN)
135. International-Lawyers.Org Irish Council for Civil Liberties JLS International Law Project
136. Jump at the Sun Consultants, LLC
137. Justice Revival Juvenile Law Center Karapatan
138. Kent State Truth Tribunal
139. Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada
140. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
141. League of Women Voters of the United States
142. Legal Resources Centre
143. Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law School
144. Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD)
145. Liberty
146. Love Not Blood Campaign Many Voices
147. Me Too Survivors March International
148. Medical Whistleblower Advocacy Network
149. Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project
150. Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission
151. Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights
152. Minority Rights Group International (MRG)
153. Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers, International Association of People's Lawyers
154. Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD)
155. Mothers Against Police Brutality (MAPB)
156. Namibia Diverse Women's Association
157. National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
158. National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
159. National Birth Equity Collaborative
160. National Black Agenda Consortium
161. National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'Cobra)
162. National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
163. National Council on Independent Living
164. National Equality Action Team (NEAT)
165. National Health Care for the Homeless Council
166. National Homelessness Law Center
167. National Working Positive Coalition
168. New Afrikan People's Organization/Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
169. New Future Foundation, Inc.
170. North River Law PLLC
171. Office of HBCU Development & International Cooperation, Inc
172. OneAmerica OutRight Action International
173. Parable of the Sower Intentional Community Cooperative
174. Parity Partnership for Justice
175. Passionist Solidarity Network Pax Christi USA
176. Phoenix Transition Program
177. Physicians for a National Health Program, NY Metro Chapter
178. Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance
179. Planet Ally Pretrial Justice Institute
180. Progressive Doctors
181. Promise Institute for Human Rights, UCLA Law
182. Promoting Empowerment Through Awareness for Lesbian/Bisexual Women (PETAL)
183. Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)
184. Public Justice Center
185. Rede Nacional de Mães e Familiares de Vítimas do Terrorismo do Estado
186. REDRESS
187. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
188. Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conferernce
189. San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility
190. Santa Clara Law - International Human Rights Clinic
191. Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness
192. SEIU Healthcare IL
193. The Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center
194. Shirkat Gah - Women's Resource Centre
195. SISTA Fire
196. Sisters Health & Wellness Collective
197. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
198. South Austin Coalition Southern Anti-Racism Network Southern Poverty Law Center Southwest Native Cultures StoptheDrugWar.org
199. Strategies for Development
200. Swaziland Migrant Mineworkers Association (SWAMMIWA)
201. The Taifa Group Talking Drum Incorporated
202. Te Rau Ora
203. Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University School of Law
204. Tools4Democracy!
205. TRANScending Barriers Atlanta
206. The TransLatin@ Coalition Trinity United Church of Christ The TRY CENTER, Inc
207. The Ubuntu Centre Uneafro Brasil
208. UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab- People of African Descent
209. and the SDGs E-Team
210. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Montgomery
211. United Belize Advocacy Movement
212. United Nations Association of the USA
213. United Nations Association, Northern New Jersey Chapter
214. Universal Human Rights Defenders Coalition
215. University Network for Human Rights
216. Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights
217. US Human Rights Cities Alliance
218. US Human Rights Network
219. Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
220. Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
221. Waves Ahead Corp, Puerto Rico
222. The Well Project Westside Justice Center WITNESS
223. Women Human Rights Defender, Middle East and North Africa Coalition (WHRD-MENA)
224. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
225. Women’s All Points Bulletin (WAPB)
226. Woodhull Freedom Foundation
227. World Against Racism Network (WARN)
228. World Council of Churches
229. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
230. World Without Genocide at Mitchell Hamline School of Law
231. Yemeni Institute for Strategic Affairs