Statement Regarding the Recent Murders of Black Men
February 6, 2023
AURORA,CO- As the nation reacts to another senseless murder of a Black man at the violent hands of police, we are reminded of Fannie Lou Hamer’s words, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
We are sick, ailed by the racism that poisons our healthcare system.
We are tired, exhausted by the barrage of police violence.
We are sick and tired of the systemic white supremacy that murders our Black men.
But we are NOT discouraged or disempowered.
We condemn not only the action of the Memphis Police Department, but the very existence of policing in our community. In 2021, Aurora PD violated federal and state laws through a pattern of racially biased policing and excessive force. A consent decree mandated changes like updating use-of-force policies and diversifying officers. But the most recent deadline on January 13th was missed and IntegrAssure’s (a contractor monitoring the consent decree’s process) latest report describes Aurora police’s “apparent reluctance" to look into use of force incidents when policies are not violated. According to Mapping Police Violence, police have killed 37 people, 4 of them Black, in Colorado so far in 2022. Black people are 3.5x more likely to be killed than white people in Colorado.
We have tried body cams, we have tried training, we passed countless laws across the nation. But the truth is policing will not work. Policing will not work, regardless of the race of the officers, until the systems of white supremacy that dehumanize Black people and sanction violence against the Black community are dismantled.
Therefore, we call on faculty, staff, and students to use their power to advocate for radical change to policing in our community, including: eliminating shoot-to-kill policies, restricting the authority of police in favor of community solutions, permanent dismissal following any use of force violations, and ending monetary restrictions under the qualified immunity ban to ensure police are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law for civil rights violations. Furthermore, as there is no role for policing in healthcare, we advocate for the dismissal of police from our associated hospitals and clinical spaces.
In the words of the ACLU, “It’s past time to end the disparate, ineffective and violent policing of communities of color, and the constant surveillance, targeting and harassment of Black and Brown people. We must stop relying on police to respond to issues related to poverty and disinvestment, which leads to more frequent unnecessary and aggressive actions by law enforcement towards community members. It’s time for us to reimagine the role of police to be far narrower, while investing in supportive, community-based solutions for public safety independent of the criminal legal system”
Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights activist. The police assaulted her, beating her while in police custody. And the healthcare system failed her, detecting her breast cancer far too late, and sterilizing her without consent when she sought treatment. Nearly 60 years ago Fannie declared that she is sick and tired of being sick and tired. Let us not go another 60 years with generations of Black people killed by our police and our healthcare system.
With love and support for our Black community, The University of Colorado School of Medicine Chapter of White Coats for Black Lives
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DISCLAIMER: This statement does not represent the views of the University of Colorado
Corrections: the original statement said "police have killed 37 Black people in Colorado so far in 2022." The correct statistic is "police have killed 37 people, 4 of them Black, in Colorado so far in 2022."
Madeline Lockhart, CHA/PA Student, CU-Anschutz
Medha Gudavalli, MS4, CU-Anschutz
Rachel Ancar, MS4, CU-Anschutz
CJ Ernstrom, MD Student, CU-Anschutz SOM
Allie Nielsen, MS1, University of Colorado
Brian Carter, MS3, CU-Anschutz
Danae Mitchell, PREP Scholar CU-Anschutz
Sarah J Ellsworth, MS3, University of Colorado SOM
Grace Akatsu, 1st year MD PhD student
Nikita Deng, MS3, university of Colorado
Christy Angerhofer, University of Colorado
Sameer Andani, Medical student, University of Colorado
Avalon Swenson, MS3, CU School of Medicine
Courtney Olson, MS3, University of Colorado
Kalee Maricle, CHA/PA-S2, CU-Anschutz
Sanaa Ahmad, MD, IM Resident, Wayne State University
Fady Wassef, Student of Medicine MS1, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Emily Scott, Internal Medicine Chief Resident, CU-Anschutz
Shilpa Tummala, MS4, CU-Anschutz
Ndea Carter, MSU Denver Alumni
Taylor Heap, MS1, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Mary Wang, MS4, CU-Anschutz
Sonika Bangarala, Student of Fairleigh Dickinson University
Praveen,student of engineering, St josheps college of engineering in chennai
Ronald A Yang, MS3, CU-Anschutz
Eleanor Lorton, MS4, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Kylie Conway, MS1, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Grace Perry, Medical Student, CUSOM
India Bonner, MS2, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Anna Hasche-Kluender, 1st year MD PhD student
Allison Avery, PA-S3, CU-Anschutz
Chloe Briney, PhD Candidate, CU-Anschutz
Romany Redman MD, Primary Care. CU SOM Alum
Amelia J. Davis, MD, IM resident, University of Washington
Amira Otmane, MS3, CU-Anschutz
Leah Bowen, MS4, CU-Anschutz
Ry Hemond, MS1, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Magdalena Reinsvold, MD, MPH, Family Medicine
Mackenzie Garcia, MD MPH, Resident Emory University Internal Medicine
Tien To, MS1, CU-Anschutz SOM
Jessica Gerlach, CHA/PA-S2, CU-Anschutz
Deidre Tomlinson, pre nursing student
Julia Schaffer, Colorado University School of Medicine
Heather Tanksley, Sr. Research Coordinator, CU Anschutz
Katherine Littlefield, Sr. PRA, CU Anschutz
We have coordinated with the School of Medicine and have received approval to move forward. The statement link is here with the text copied below. We wanted to point out that this statement comes from a student group and does not represent the views of the University of Colorado. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you so much for elevating this statement.
