Members of Mothers Against Police Brutality participated in the peaceful rally and march in downtown Dallas last night (Thursday, July 7). A thousand marchers stood together in support of the families of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, who were brutality murdered by police this week, their deaths captured in gut-wrenching videos that moved many people to action.
At the end of the march, sniper fire erupted, taking the lives of at least 5 police officers and wounding 8 others, including two civilians.
With those shots, the national conversation against official state violence against black and brown people and unjust deadly force was caught in the gun violence that now pervades every aspect of American life, including tragically non-violent protest. It is dangerous and irresponsible to tie the Dallas snipers to a movement calling for justice, transparency, and accountability.
Our movement, in Dallas and nationally, will go forward. The struggle for justice, the struggle for Black lives, the struggle to end police brutality must continue and will continue. There is no turning back.
We understand all too well the grief of losing a loved one to gun violence. Mothers Against Police Brutality was founded in the grief of mothers who sons were stolen by the crime of police homicide. For this reason, we respect and honor the lives of the police officers who were killed in Dallas last night. We grieve with their families, and our hearts go out to them.
We have received hundreds of calls, emails, and text messages from our supporters asking, “What can I do?”:
We share your outrage, sadness, and righteous anger, and we are motivated even more to bring a stop to these senseless killings of our children! The videos are not only heartbreaking, but each one shows an official murder in real time; each video provides evidence that the officers involved should be arrested immediately.
We need your help now more than ever. MAPB will continue working at the local, state, and federal level to advance fundamental changes to end unaccountable police violence. 9 steps toward policing that is safe fair proportionate and just. We are part of a network of activists and families of victims nationwide that are dedicated to creating a society that respects the dignity of Black lives and all people.
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