CGRS Affirms that Black Lives Matter, Calls for End to Systemic Police Violence

San Francisco, CA (June 2, 2020) – The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) stands in solidarity with Black communities and allies around the country rising up to seek justice for victims of antiblack police violence. We mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless other Black people murdered at the hands of law enforcement.

CGRS decries the ongoing police violence and repressive tactics being used against people courageously demanding justice. We are disturbed by the Trump Administration’s increasingly militarized response, as well as its deployment of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), agencies that have a long track record of abusive practices, to quell protests.

The movement for racial justice and the struggle for immigrant and refugee rights are fundamentally connected. CGRS commits to following the leadership of Black activists as we fight to eradicate antiblackness in our communities and within our movement.

CGRS joins communities around the country in demanding accountability and justice for George Floyd and all other victims of police violence. We stand with Black movement leaders calling for the defunding of systems that uphold white supremacy and for robust investment in community-based programs that protect Black lives. We encourage our supporters to learn more and join us in solidarity with those at the frontlines of this struggle.

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CGRS works to defend the fundamental human rights of refugee women, children, LGBT individuals, and others who flee persecution in their home countries. We combine legal strategies with policy advocacy and human rights interventions to secure greater protections for refugees and asylum seekers.