NEW YORK and MINNEAPOLIS (February 6, 2022) – National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial and Urban League Twin Cities President and CEO Steven Belton issued the following joint statement regarding the fatal shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis Police Officer Mark Hanneman:

“Amir’s death is not simply a tragic mistake; it is the direct result of policies, procedures, and attitudes that the Urban League and other advocates have fought for years to eliminate.  The grief Amir’s family and community are experiencing is deepened by the sense of indifference on the part of police and city officials.

“It’s hard to believe police are still engaging in this kind of conduct,  nearly two years after police killed Breonna Taylor in the botched execution of a no-knock warrant, and the murder of George Floyd drew national attention to police mistreatment of citizens of color.

Dr. Bernard E. Anderson
Whitney M Young, Jr. Professor Emeritus, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Senior Economic Advisor, National Urban League

WASHINGTON — Leading civil rights organizations released the following joint statement urging Congress to remain focused on federal voting rights protections and the core issue of racial discrimination addressed in the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, as the Electoral Count Act is grossly insufficient:

“The right to vote is our most sacred right. We must ensure that voters can safely and freely cast their ballots. The Electoral Count Act proposal would provide important and needed protections to ensure the integrity of the presidential election of 2024, but it does not address the ongoing pernicious and pervasive racial discrimination in voting nor does it make voting more accessible.