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Credit: Tatum O’Sullivan

We stand with you. As we confront the legacy of racism woven into our nation’s criminal justice system, and its sweeping impacts, we feel pain, violence, trauma, anger, sadness, exhaustion, and unease. The systemic injustices facing our Black communities must end today. 

Whether engaging in protests, absorbing horrifying headlines, or experiencing the direct harm of the justice system, we are collectively hurting right now. This harm and outrage are felt acutely in our Black communities. We mourn the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Bay Area residents Nia Wilson, Mario Woods and Oscar Grant, and the countless other victims of racist violence.

The most recent atrocities are not new. Black families and communities have long experienced abuse at the hands of law enforcement. This includes over-policing, racial profiling, and systemic racism, which create an overrepresentation of Black people at all points in the justice system. In San Francisco, stark racial disparities for drug arrests have persisted for the past forty years. Across California, Black youth experience a greater risk of being prosecuted in adult court, amid far too many examples of injustice. We must proclaim what the current system fails to affirm:

Black Lives Matter.

The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) stands with the worldwide protests to demand racial and social justice. We recommit CJCJ’s direct services and policy advocacy to ending racism across the justice system. In collaboration with community partners, we will amplify the voices of Black community leaders and continue our fight against structural racism.

In Solidarity,

The CJCJ family