URBAN LEAGUE LEADERS CONDEMN MINNEAPOLICE POLICE SHOOTING
AND CITY’S INITIAL RESPONSE

BodyCam Footage Raises Alarming Questions About Policies and Procedures

NEW YORK and MINNEAPOLIS (February 6, 2022) – National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial and Urban League Twin Cities President and CEO Steven Belton issued the following joint statement regarding the fatal shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis Police Officer Mark Hanneman:

“Amir’s death is not simply a tragic mistake; it is the direct result of policies, procedures, and attitudes that the Urban League and other advocates have fought for years to eliminate. The grief Amir’s family and community are experiencing is deepened by the sense of indifference on the part of police and city officials.

“It’s hard to believe police are still engaging in this kind of conduct, nearly two years after police killed Breonna Taylor in the botched execution of a no-knock warrant, and the murder of George Floyd drew national attention to police mistreatment of citizens of color.

“Mayor Frey’s imposition of a moratorium on no-knock warrants only serves to highlight the emptiness of the police department’s November 2020 announcement that the practice would be drastically restricted, and Mayor Frey’s own claims to have banned no-knock warrants in almost all cases.

“Rather than immediately acknowledge the missteps that led to Amir’s tragic shooting, the department set about demonizing an innocent man, falsely identifying him as a ‘suspect’ and claiming he pointed the gun at an officer, which the body cam video refutes.

“The people of Minneapolis deserve better than lip service and empty promises. Such a flagrant disregard for proper procedure even as the department is under a federal pattern and practice investigation is a serious red flag. We will monitor the investigation into this fatal shooting closely and insist upon holding police and city officials responsible for their conduct.

“Our deepest sympathy is with Amir’s family and we stand with those peacefully protesting for meaningful change.”

National Urban League President and CEO
Urges Senate to Pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act

 

Washington, D.C. (January 13, 2022) – Today, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement after the House passed the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Act with a vote of 220 to 203:

“On the heels of President Biden’s momentous speech on Tuesday, we were pleased to see the House of Representatives swiftly act and pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, which combines the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. We also are glad to see President Biden going to the Senate today to make a direct appeal to Senators. The protection of voting rights for all and the preservation of our democracy must be the chief priority of the nation and its leaders. The Senate should take up and pass the House measure as soon as possible.

“President Biden’s words in Atlanta were loud and clear: ‘history has never been kind to those who have sided with voter suppression over voter’s rights.’ There is a shameful, anti-democratic effort being undertaken by partisan state legislatures across the country to impede and restrict communities of color, native people, young people, older persons, and people with disabilities from voting. These cynical efforts to preserve political power at all costs are a threat to our democracy and need to be challenged directly and unequivocally

“Coast to coast from Arizona to West Virginia, through Utah, and spanning Alaska to Maine — every Senator will have to answer to the American people, to future generations, and to history for the position they take in this moment. The filibuster was used in the past to block civil rights legislation and each Senator must ask whether that is the legacy they want to leave behind. The Senate rules have been changed repeatedly over the years to address our national economy, including most recently in December to raise the debt ceiling. But what good is an economy without a working democracy? We cannot continue to allow arcane Senate rules to stand in the way of our most fundamental right.

“Passing the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act will benefit all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, and strengthen our democracy in the process. It is of paramount importance. The Senate should bring this bill to the floor and pass it immediately. We encourage voters, organizations, and corporations alike to ask yourselves this important question: which side of history are you on? Use your voice to demand the Senate pass voting rights legislation now.”

The National Urban League sent a letter to the House of Representatives this morning in support of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act.  The full text of the letter is below:

January 13, 2022

Dear Representative,

As President and CEO of the National Urban League, and on behalf of its 91 affiliates in 37 states and the District of Columbia, I am writing to express our strong support for the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, as it is considered in the House and Senate in the coming days. As a historic civil rights organization dedicated to ensuring that all people are able to exercise their fundamental right to vote, we stand with our fellow civil rights organizations in supporting this bill.

The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act will ensure that voters can safely and freely cast their ballots, protect against election sabotage, stop partisan gerrymandering, and limit the influence of dark money in politics. In 2021 alone, 19 states have enacted 34 new laws that suppress the right to vote for all Americans and more are under consideration today. In addition, states are pursuing manipulative redistricting efforts which discriminate against and dilute the representation of Black and Brown voters. This legislation would fight back against these attacks and ensure the ability for every American to participate in safe, accessible, and transparent elections.

Our organization fully endorses this bill, which responds to the current needs of this nation in the fight for voting rights, and urges you to support this legislation. For more information, please contact Yvette Badu-Nimako, Senior Director for Judiciary, Civil Rights and Social Justice at ybadu@nul.org.

Sincerely,

Marc H. Morial
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Urban League

National Urban League:
A year later, the January 6 Insurrection Still Rages On

NEW YORK (January 6, 2022) – National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in observance of the one-year anniversary of the January 6, 2021, insurrection:

“A year ago today, Americans watched in horror and revulsion as a savage mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, intent upon overturning a fair and free election through violence or even murder, if necessary.

“The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has interviewed more than 300 witnesses and reviewed tens of thousands of documents. The Department of Justice has charged more than 700 defendants with alleged crimes ranging from entering restricted Capitol grounds to conspiracy against the United States. Yet the attack on American democracy continues, unabated.

“The ongoing assault relies less on brute violence – though the threat is ever-present – and more on subversion. But the motivation, the fuel, and the ultimate goal remain as stark and repugnant as they were revealed to be on that dark day one year ago.

“The motivation is furious resentment of the historic Black and Brown voter turnout that contributed to the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The fuel is the ‘Big Lie’—the ugly myth that the election was ‘stolen.’  And the goal is not only to disenfranchise Black and Brown Americans with repressive voting laws, not only to dilute their influence with manipulative racial gerrymandering but to ignore the results of elections entirely.

“The work of the Justice Department and the January 6 Committee is vital to uncovering the origins of the deadly insurrection and to holding the perpetrators accountable. But the most dangerous conspirators weren’t the ones strutting the halls of Congress in horned fur hats and superhero costumes. They’re the ones quietly dismantling democracy in state capitols across the country. And they must be held to account too.

“The National Urban League and our affiliates across the country continue to lead the fight against voter suppression and election subversion at the national and state level and advocate for federal legislation to restore and protect voting rights.”

Indianapolis Urban League Responds to Senate Bill 167: Education matters 

“Bill is a Veiled Effort to Address Critical Race Theory” 

Indianapolis, IN (January 5, 2022) – Today, Indianapolis Urban League President and CEO Tony Mason issued the following statement in response to SB 167: Education Matters:

The Indianapolis Urban League is strongly opposed to legislation that undermines the teaching of African American history or potentially stifles diversity, equity, and inclusion in K-12 education.

SB 167 is a veiled effort to address critical race theory, a legal theory directed at criticizing the legal system for producing racist outcomes, which is not taught in K-12 education but rather in law school.

At a time where Indiana’s education system has been the most diverse it has ever been, we find it both odd and disappointing that the nature of the conversation we are having about the future of education in Indiana, in this opening legislative session, is anchored on a theory based on systems of legalities that produce racists results.  At this moment, this committee should be laser-focused on addressing the significant and devastating racial achievement gaps on state standardized testing, as well as the poor performance of white students on those same tests; alternatively, by choice, we are sadly focused on what essentially is a non-issue as one of the first issues this committee will address this session.

No doubt the purpose of the legislation is for this committee to have a significant influence on the curriculum of school districts around the state instead of trusting trained professionals on the development of curriculum for our K-12 students and heeding to the curriculum advisory committee’s recommendation.

Based on what has been presented in SB 167, it stands to harm our community given that there was little to no outreach to African-Americans and other People of Color about this issue and it provides no recourse against the “whitewashing” of curriculum and ultimately history and culture.

Clearly, this bill was not designed to correct curriculums by including more perspectives but to revise curriculums by creating a system that could reduce the number of perspectives included in Indiana curriculums. SB 167 threatens to undermine the accepted protections of people of color who are the minority in most communities around the state—a foundational democratic principle in a multiracial democracy.

 We believe the efforts to address critical race theory in K-12 education is a subterfuge for an attempt to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools. Contrary to the claims of supporters of SB 167, the efforts outlined in SB 167 are not intended to eliminate discussions and teachings that indoctrinate students, regardless of race, to feel “less than”. The efforts are a part of a nationwide strategy or playbook that will attempt to guarantee younger generations of White students learn as little as possible about the country’s true history, racism, and systems that cause inequalities and inequities to exist in our society; thus ensuring these younger generations of White students will likely be less moderate, liberal or even progressive in their thinking, their advocacy for racial equity, and voting.

In conclusion, we affirm the expansion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in K-12 education and do not believe SB 167 is designed to achieve this objective, but believe it is aimed at chilling the efforts of teachers throughout Indiana by limiting their ability to do their jobs and limiting the diversity of thought and inclusion on all fronts; ultimately, having a long-term impact on the economic viability of the State of Indiana and the quality of living for everyone who calls Indiana home. Email your elected representative as soon as possible to voice your concerns about this harmful legislation.

Tony Mason, President & CEO, Indianapolis Urban League

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Media Contact: Tony Mason,  President & CEO, Indianapolis Urban League | (317) 693-7603   tmason@indplsul.org

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About the Indianapolis Urban League:
Founded in 1965, the Indianapolis Urban League is a nonprofit, non-partisan, interracial, community-based, human services agency dedicated to assisting African Americans, other minorities and disadvantaged individuals to achieve social and economic equality. Annually, the IUL provides direct services and advocacy in the areas of education and youth services, economic and workforce development, health and quality of life, civic engagement and leadership, and civil rights and racial justice empowerment. IUL is one of 90 affiliates of the National Urban League serving 300 communities in 36 states and the District of Columbia. For more information visit indplsul.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                     

October 13, 2021

Indianapolis Urban League Statement on the Actions and Case of IMPD Sergeant Eric Huxley

INDIANAPOLIS – Today, the Indianapolis Urban League (IUL) applauds the executive actions and commitment to increased transparency taken by IMPD Chief Randal Taylor in the recently discovered and partially investigated case of Sergeant Eric Huxley and his abuse and stomping on the head of a prone, homeless, African American civilian, Mr. Jermaine Vaughn on September 24th of this year.

We are angered and deeply saddened by the video images from the body-worn camera footage released yesterday and our expressions of sympathy and support for Mr. Vaughn are beyond words.

The deliberate and unprincipled actions of Sergeant Huxley deprived Mr. Vaughn of his civil and constitutional rights, and the apparent silent accommodation of his actions by IMPD Sergeant Christopher Kibbey and Officer Matthew Shores is extremely disturbing to the Indianapolis community.  Sergeant Huxley has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of his trial on felony charges.  Should he not be convicted, the Indianapolis Urban League urges the IMPD Police Merit Board to support IMPD Chief Randal Taylor’s recommendation that Sergeant Huxley is terminated.

In this instance, the implementation of body-worn cameras and the release of the video footage demonstrate the beginning of necessary changes around transparency but Sergeant Huxley must be held accountable.  Sergeant Kibbey and Officer Shores should be disciplined and held accountable for their failures as well.  Failure to do so will only lead to more instances of officers failing to quickly intervene when a fellow officer has violated policies and laws in interactions and confrontations with citizens.

The Indianapolis Urban League remains committed to advocating for improved transparency and accountability for police actions in our community. It is imperative that IMPD, the Police Merit Board and Use of Force Review Board continue to address ongoing community concerns regarding the use of force, departmental discipline, and overall departmental policies that have contributed to a rising level of disconnect and mistrust between the officers and employees of the department and the Indianapolis community particularly African Americans and other people of color.  Failure to do so will only deepen the divide in our community making it more difficult to implement other changes underway that could lead to better police and community relations.

Tony Mason, President & CEO, Indianapolis Urban League

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Contact: Tony Mason,  President & CEO, Indianapolis Urban League | (317) 693-7603   tmason@indplsul.org

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About the Indianapolis Urban League:
Founded in 1965, the Indianapolis Urban League (IUL) is a nonprofit, non-partisan, interracial, community-based, human services agency dedicated to assisting African-Americans, other minorities, and disadvantaged individuals to achieve social and economic equality. Annually, the IUL provides direct services and advocacy in the areas of education and youth services, economic and workforce development, health and quality of life, civic engagement and leadership, and civil rights and racial justice empowerment. IUL is one of 90 affiliates of the National Urban League serving 300 communities in 36 states and the District of Columbia. For more information visit indplsul.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 11, 2021) – Today, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the Senate’s passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework yesterday:

“Today, we applaud the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed the Senate by a vote of 69-30. This historic $1.2 trillion federal investment will create new jobs, connect millions of American children, families, and communities to affordable and reliable high-speed internet, and provide much-needed support to minority-owned businesses. It represents the biggest federal investment in infrastructure this country has seen in a generation.

“We are pleased that the Senate bill includes several recommendations reflected in the National Urban League’s Main Street Marshall Plan and Lewis Latimer Plan for Digital Equity and Inclusion. The National Urban League has fought tirelessly for these priorities, and others, to be included in the infrastructure package:

• $65 billion to increase access to broadband in hard-to-reach rural communities and low-income urban areas including $14 billion for the Affordable Connectivity Program that provides a $30 monthly benefit to participating households, and $2.75 billion for digital equity and inclusion programs;

• Increased support for Minority-owned businesses by making the Minority Business Development Agency under the Department of Commerce permanent and expanding the agency’s capacity to develop and sustain Minority-owned businesses while helping to build a diverse pipeline of entrepreneurial talent;

• Allocating funding to minority business development grants for community and national nonprofit organizations, which would be instrumental in the nation’s effort to restore Minority-owned businesses impacted by the pandemic and give aspiring entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed; and

• • 650,000 in new, high-skill, high-paying jobs to provide much-needed support to underserved workers who have lost jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This legislation will help restore the middle class, build generational wealth, and increase the quality of life for all Americans. It will also help revitalize America’s infrastructure and give workers, families, students, and small businesses the tools they need to succeed in the 21^st century.

“We urge the House to swiftly consider this bill and the forthcoming budget reconciliation bill, which will invest in America’s human infrastructure. Together, these measures will ensure that the nation emerges from the pandemic into a new normal where all Americans have the opportunity for economic prosperity.”

IUL REBUTS ROKITA’S DIVISIVE PARENTS BILL OF RIGHTS

AND MANIPULATION OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY

Indianapolis (Tuesday, August 3, 20210) – Seldom in the history of the Indianapolis Urban League (IUL) have we and our constituents been confronted by such an existential threat that imperils our foundational and fundamental rights as American citizens. The current political environment at the local, state and national levels of government and society jeopardizes all of the hard-fought victories paid for with the sacrificial blood of those who believe in equality for all.

The most recent manifestation of these threats comes in an innocuously titled tract developed by Attorney General Todd Rokita called the Parents Bill of Rights (PBR).  The PBR characterizes any attempt at efforts to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion in classrooms as a negative “outside” influence. The document uses Critical Race Theory (CRT), as an imprecise catch-all phrase and loosely defined term, to falsely claim and imply that liberals and diversity advocates espouse the belief that America is fundamentally racist.

Mr. Rokita intentionally ignores and mischaracterizes the major provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to fit his warped views and interpretations of the law and the realities faced by students of color. Amazingly, Mr. Rokita even fails to mention that ESSA is a federal civil rights law! ESSA was supported by many Republicans, including Rokita, who helped steer its passage and enactment, because of its emphasis on state and local power and its limitations on federal control.

Mr. Rokita, whose office is supposed to represent the legal interests of ALL Hoosiers, through the PBR and in other documented actions, is using the PBR to infer that any interpretation or teaching of history that differs from his own selective interpretation is “…politically affiliated classroom discussion.”  Furthermore, Mr. Rokita urges parents to…“contact their child’s school district when controversial political or social ideologies are brought into Indiana classrooms.”  In doing so, he has substituted his judgment for that of historians and he is intentionally creating an atmosphere where any discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion will be deemed as promoting division based on race.

Mr. Rokita’s office budget is in excess of $42 million and he is unethically using the money of all taxpayers to subsidize his advance “campaign” for governor and to appeal politically to the most extremist elements of “conservative” Republicans, locally and statewide.  Additionally, he is spearheading a nationwide effort by state attorney generals in 20 other states to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion and other educational activities that they claim impose the teaching of critical race theory as outlined in a 10-page letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on May 19th, 2021.  The letter opposes the U.S. Department of Education’s plans to provide grants for American history and civic education programs with curriculums that teach diversity and the effects of “systemic” inequality.

Ultimately, Mr. Rokita and the other radical state attorney general’s seek to give themselves the power to decide and define what is the sole proper and accurate understanding of American history in relation to Blacks, our historically unique paths to citizenship, and the realities of both de-jure (racially motivated public policies) and de-facto (racial isolation independent of state action) segregation and racism.

 The truth is Critical Race Theory is not currently being taught in schools from the elementary to secondary level anywhere in public schools in Indiana or in the United States.  In fact, it has never been taught at that level.  It is a graduate-level course of study.   

In Mr. Rokita’s political mind, however, acknowledging the REALITIES of the consequences of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, redlining, gerrymandering, voting prohibitions as well as the many documented but untaught contributions of Black Americans in spite of our trauma is the same as trying to “. . . endorse teaching factually deficient history and will, in practice, lead to racial and ethnic division and indeed more discrimination.” 

The Indianapolis Urban League is a non-profit, non-partisan human services agency with an emphasis on promoting civil rights and positive relations among the various races and ethnicities that make America great.  The IUL is not opposed to any officeholder solely on the basis of their political affiliation or their individual “conservative” or “liberal” ideology.  However, the IUL reserves the right to hold accountable any individual or group who cynically and intentionally inflame tension and division and seek to destroy positive relations between residents of different races, ethnicities, identities, backgrounds, and beliefs.  We will do so without fear of intimidation or retaliation!  The Indianapolis Urban League encourages Indianapolis and Central Indiana residents and especially our individual, civic, corporate, and faith-based supporters, and government officials of all races to stand courageously with us and other organizations that promote civil rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Directly express your concerns to “political leaders” who perpetuate misinformation about CRT to divide us or to whitewash history or current events.  Such unethical and false manipulations must not go unchallenged.  Failure to lift your voices, leverage your privilege and exercise your power now, will undermine our collective and your individual work towards equality and equity and to undo the damage of a history untaught and untold.

Tony Mason
President and CEO
Indianapolis Urban League

By National Urban League, Published 05 AM EDT, Fri Jul 23, 2021

Marc H. Morial
President and CEO
National Urban League

“The lie of massive, rampant voter fraud is serving the same function today as it did during the rise of Jim Crow. It stokes fear in a segment of the population that democracy is in peril, and thus provides cover for laws that target Black voters with race-neutral language in the 21st century.” — Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Meet Jimmy Crow.

You may remember Jimmy’s grandfather, Jim Crow. Jim sometimes wore a hood and a robe, and sometimes a sheriff’s badge. He administered incomprehensible “literacy tests” to Black citizens trying to register to vote. He clubbed John Lewis nearly to death on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The n-word flowed freely from Jim’s lips.

You may remember Jimmy’s father, James Crow, Esquire. James wore a suit and a tie instead of a robe and hood. He drew gerrymandered congressional and legislative districts to dilute the power of the Black vote. James would never utter the n-word – at least not in public. Instead, he would winkingly refer to “states’ rights” and “welfare queens.”

Jimmy Crow wears a golf shirt and khaki pants. He carries a tiki torch in place of a burning cross. Jimmy’s not content with suppressing and diluting the Black vote; he wants the power to ignore election results altogether if he doesn’t like the outcome. He fiercely guards the symbols of white supremacy his grandfather erected on town squares and courthouse grounds to intimidate Black Americans.  He rants about “replacement theory” and “the purity of the ballot box.”

Like his grandfather, Jimmy Crow is not just willing but eager to use violence to enforce his white supremacist ideology. After neo-Nazi sympathizer James Alex Fields, Jr., killed counter-protestor Heather Heyer by driving his car into a crowd at the 2017 “Unite the Right Rally” at least six states proposed laws to protect drivers who emulate Fields. In a single month last year, at least 72 drivers rammed their cars into protesters in 52 different cities.

Insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 assaulted about 140 police officers, bashing their heads, shoving them down stairs, stabbing them with metal poles, and blasting them with pepper spray.

Jimmy Crow is unrepentant for this revolting brutality, or for the racist lies that provoked it.  Just hours after their colleagues’ lives were threatened and rioters openly called for Vice President Pence to be hanged, 147 members of Congress voted to overturn the results of a free and fair Presidential election.

Jimmy Crow doesn’t hide his conviction that the votes of Black and Brown Americans should not necessarily be counted. Dozens of lawsuits challenging the election results sought to invalidate votes in communities of color, particularly African American communities. In Michigan, the challenges focused on in Detroit, where nearly 80% of the population is Black. In Wisconsin, it was Milwaukee County, home to the state’s largest percentage of voters of color. Philadelphia, another target, is 58% Black and Latino.

If Jimmy Crow doesn’t succeed in cancelling the Black and Brown votes, he thinks he should be able to disregard the results of an election entirely. An Arizona state lawmaker has proposed that the Legislature to decide who wins the state’s electoral votes, regardless of the popular vote.

In 1964 and 1965, the nation triumphed over Jim Crow by enacting the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. We dealt a blow to James Crow, Esq., in the 2008 presidential election, when the Black voting rate exceeded the white rate for the first time in U.S. history – and repeated the feat in 2012.

To fight their descendant Jimmy Crow, Congress must pass, and President Biden must sign the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and The For the People Act. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, struck down in 2013 by the U.S. Supreme Court in Shelby v. Holder, that required federal approval for any changes to voting laws in jurisdictions with a history of voter suppression. Among the For The People Act’s sweeping provisions, it eliminates racially-motivated voter suppression tactics like cumbersome voter registration requirements, strict I.D. requirements, limited voting hours and restrictions on voting by mail. It bans deceptive practices and voter intimidation. And it bans the partisan gerrymandering that dilutes the political influence of communities of color.

As former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testified to a Senate Committee in support of the bill, “Now is the time for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority to protect the structure of our representative democracy. Otherwise, we will slip deeper into a system in which self-interested politicians use the tools of governance to keep themselves in power with no regard for the desires of the people they are supposed to represent.”

https://nul.org/news/meet-jimmy-crow-insurrectionist-and-suppressor-heir-jim-and-james-crow