Cat Brooks' Remarks at Press Conference in Honor of George Floyd
Good afternoon.
First a moment of silence for all those we have lost to both state and street violence. We send our prayers and hearts to the family and loved ones left behind.
My name is Cat Brooks. I am the ED of JTN and co-founder of APTP.
One year ago today, former MN police officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on the neck of George Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while George repeatedly called for his mother and said “I Can’t Breathe.”
For those of us here we were reminded of Demouria Hogg, Richard Perkins, Willie McCoy, Marcellus Toney, Yuvette Henderson, Oscar Grant, Steven Taylor, Dujuan Armstrong and too many names for me to go through. Following his murder we had Sean Monterrosa, Mario Gonzales and Eric Salgado.
Our country is riddled with three Pandemics. The Covid-19 pandemic, the pandemic of police terror and the pandemic of inner-communal violence. All three are killing Black and Brown people.
Here in Oakland, Black people are languishing under an administration who for seven years has told us our lives don’t matter … from Libby’s housing policies to her refusal to hold the Oakland Police Department accountable when they rape, maim or kill.
Most recently, in what felt like a slap in the face to Black folks, Libby released a tone deaf budget (LATE) that did not move resources away from police and into community but actually gave them more money. She claims she did this in response to Oaklander demands to increase public safety by funding cops.
A couple of things here:
IF policing and prisons could solve violence, we would be the most peaceful country because we do that more than any other country on the planet.
Libby’s budget does nothing to address violent crime until 2023 when she adds two homicide investigators to the budget.
We need to get to the gun before the bullet flies - not after - we need to invest in prevention - not punitive reactionary responses. Police are not violence interrupters - they are violence responders.
Let me be CLEAR that if you do not believe that investment in our communities is the answer to a healing and a radical shift in how we are forced to survive then you don’t believe in our humanity… period. And our movement is demanding you pick a side of the line and stick to it. You are either for the people. Or you are not. You do not get to say George Floyd’s name and fund more violent policing. That is neoliberal garbage and we’ve had enough.
It is illogical and irrational to believe that the system that creates the conditions that cause street violence has the solution to that violence - especially when all they offer is more violence in the form of a militarized and out of control police department. There is a better way.
We are here today to demand city council to fund the Just Recovery budget, to invest in the strategies for reimagining public safety and to reinvest dollars into the communities who need it most.
Oakland is currently leading the nation in the Divest conversation. This is not the time to turn back. The ONLY way we are going to end any of the pandemics, the virus, police violence or inner communal violence is to BEGIN to fund education, support for mental health and trauma, economic pathways and grassroots community-led responses to community crisis like MH First.
What we are doing across the board is NOT working. The status quo is keeping NONE of us safe. The people are saying we have had enough. The only way you can mean #NeverAnotherGeorgeFloyd is if you mean #RefundRestoreReimagine.
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