Our response to the verdict in the George Floyd murder

The following statement is issued in reaction to the trial verdict in the death of George Floyd:

Today we are relieved that a measure of justice was served in the trial of the Minneapolis police officer in the murder of George Floyd.

Yet, as we absorb the verdict of the trial, we still must grapple with the reality of a resurgent and increasingly unapologetic White supremacy. It continues to press its knee on the necks of Black people and other people of color, making it impossible to breathe. Systemic racism makes even life itself a privilege of Whiteness. And yet our interconnectedness means that none of us can fully live so long as Black lives are snuffed out daily by systemic racism in all its myriad forms.

What then must we do? We at The Democracy Collaborative do not have all of the answers. What we do have is a fundamental belief that true democracy must seep into the very crevasses of our economic, political and social life together. We also have the knowledge that our work toward a democratic economy is meaningless unless “democracy” means that Black lives matter—not just as a slogan, but in the substance of how we reshape our institutions to conform to the mandates of reparative justice and an equitable future.

That is why we are renewing our commitment to antiracism at the core of our work. We have always insisted that systemic change—breaking free from extractive, racial capitalism—is the only path to resolving our intersecting crises of racism, economic inequality and planetary degradation. Now we must redouble our efforts to work in coalition with other racial justice fighters who share our vision.