Start with Dignity

The Time Is Now

After we sent the largest U.S. delegation to the UN in Geneva, where affected community members shared stories of excessive policing and racial discrimination by U.S. officers, the United Nations Human Rights Committee responded by questioning the U.S. government about how it addresses abuse, discrimination, and impunity by its law enforcement. However, U.S. officials failed to give any meaningful answers.

For several years, the United Nations and related mechanisms have made repeated recommendations to the United States on how to close the gap between its human rights obligations and insufficient domestic policies and practices.

Now, following the first-ever meeting of its kind at the White House under the Biden Administration, we will meet with representatives from the Vice President's Office and nine federal agencies to discuss implementing human rights obligations here at home to ensure U.S. policies and practices align with international human rights standards.

It’s time to change the use of force standard for U.S. officers to protect our dignity and save lives. Will you join us?

Changing the Use of Force Standard for U.S. Law Enforcement

Join us as we dive into the U.S. "reasonable" use of force standard, a shield that U.S. law enforcement often uses to justify deadly force. From the tragic shootings of Michael Brown and Breonna Taylor to the unjustified killing of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, we expose a deeply rooted problem that demands attention and change. The United States needs to embrace a standard that prioritizes “necessary and proportional force” – this standard is what will save lives, not take them.

U.S. laws currently ignore international human rights standards, and strip us of our dignity. It’s time for the United States to recognize the inherent dignity in all of us and protect human rights without exception, exclusion or excuse. #StartWithDignity

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