PFT President Jerry Jordan on the Police Killing of Daunte Wright

PHILADELPHIA—"I am disgusted, enraged, heartbroken, and unfortunately not surprised that another Black man's life was stolen at the hands of police. Daunte Wright should be alive today. "The killing of Mr. Wright, mere miles from where police murdered George Floyd, is another searing example of the torment of racism that is inflicted upon Black and brown communities in ways that are far too often life threatening. From the police pepper spraying of Second Lt. Caron Nazario to the police murder of Daunte Wright, Black and brown people are, time and again, subject to violence or worse at the hands of police. Too many lives have become hashtags emblematic of the devastation wrought by systemic racism. "It is undeniable that our nation needs police reform. Our system of 'justice' is anything but, and the pervasive racism that is the foundation of our system of policing is simply intolerable. "And every day, the scourge of systemic racism plays out in so many facets of our society. Students in Philadelphia's schools endure conditions that simply would never be tolerated in wealthier, whiter school districts. The fact that we have to fight so hard for basic human rights for our students--including buildings that do not poison them--is obscene. And it's representative of the depths of systemic injustice that deeply impacts Black and brown children. "The connection between the killing of Daunte Wright and the decades of inequitable school funding cannot be ignored. The PFT continues to fight for our Principles of Racial Justice. For Breonna Taylor. For George Floyd. For Daunte Wright. For far too many more. Our fight continues." ###