Flushing rally for Black Lives Matter (Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce)
June 8, 2020 By Allie Griffin
The Flushing community came together at a rally Friday to show their support for black New Yorkers.
A group of local officials, community leaders and Flushing organizations rallied and issued an open letter to condemn police brutality against black people throughout the U.S. and demand reforms to the NYPD.
“The Flushing community condemns the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota, and other recent murders by police and vigilantes including Tony McDade in Florida, Finan Berhe in Maryland, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, and Manuel Ellis in Tacoma, Washington,” the Flushing community members wrote.
“These names only scratch the surface of a seemingly endless list of violence on black lives,” the group said.
Their statement specifically appealed to the Asian American community in Flushing and asked them to reflect on their privilege and wrong-doings.
“Asian American communities have greatly benefited from black freedom struggles, and our shared struggles against oppression and the fate of our communities are inextricably linked: in our struggles for social justice, none can reach the finish line unless we finish together,” they wrote.
The community members called on others to support the Black Lives Matter movement by signing petitions and donating to organizations fighting for justice.
They also are demanding $1 billion from the NYPD’s budget be shifted towards human services and called for increased transparency in officer affairs by passing the Safer New York package of bills.
- “As our communities work to recover from COVID-19 and the killing of George Floyd, we reject going back to the normal where Black Lives continue to matter less.”
Some of the signatories include Assembly Member Ron Kim, the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, Minkwon Center for Community Action and the Korean American Family Service Center.
