U.S : Tell Mayor BOWSER directly, it is time to act !

Dear friend,

Thank you for signing the petitions to remove racist officers from the Metropolitan Police Department. As evidenced by their social media accounts, the Metropolitan Police Department is filled with racist, hate-filled, and violent officers ! Between 2009 and 2015, twenty-nine people were killed and twenty-eight people were injured by the intentional firearm discharge of MPD officers in Washington, DC. Despite these alarming numbers, not one MPD officer has ever been charged criminally in connection with the on-duty shootings. This policing culture cannot be tolerated !

For years, DC residents have voiced their fear of MPD officers and their concern about the ever-present threat of violence directed towards Black and Brown communities in DC. Local activists have uncovered social media accounts of MPD officers who boldly post racist, demeaning, and threatening images for the public to see. This is in addition to local activists from Law4BlackLives-DC recently filing formal complaints with MPD’s Internal Affairs Division against officers of the Powershift Unit and the Gun Recovery Unit. The complaints list an appalling number of MPD officers who have been seen in the community and at the courthouse proudly wearing shirts that flaunt symbols of white supremacy and symbols of death. Disturbingly, MPD Chief Peter Newsham has done virtually nothing to rid his department of these hateful and violent officers.

The mentality these posts evidence has deadly consequences. MPD officers have been responsible for several shootings in recent years, including the murders of Rafael Briscoe in 2011, Darius Jamal Murphy in 2013, Isabelle Duval in 2017, and Timothy Williams in 2017. No MPD officer has yet to be indicted for the murder of a civilian, including most recently the failure to indict the officers who killed Terrence Sterling in 2016 on August 9, 2017.

It is clear that we must demand a change ! White supremacy, hate, and threats of death should never be associated with police officers or tolerated by the Metropolitan Police Department. Such ideologies are dangerous and demonstrate a blatant disregard for human life.

It’s time for you to join the fight ! We make three simple requests of you :

• VIEW the attached video which depicts MPD’s culture of racism, hatred, and violence. (Beware that the video contains graphic images of police shootings) : https://vimeo.com/232559995
• SHARE the video by posting it to your social media accounts using #StopMPD; emailing it to family, friends, and other allies; and retweeting and sharing it with Mayor Bowser, Chief Newsham, and the DC Council. You can find their social media handles and sample tweets found here.
• CONTACT Mayor Bowser to demand a full and transparent investigation into the Metropolitan Police Department. Let Mayor Bowser know that any further inaction on her part would be utterly unacceptable since racist and violent officers are a threat to public safety. Her email can be found here: eom@dc.gov here's her Facebook and Twitter as well.

We cannot rest until MPD rids itself of these disgraceful officers, and we need your help to spread the word to create change !

Thank you,

Law 4 Black Lives DC