Policy

We are intervening on existing and new policies that reimagine a world without punitive measures and create a world where Black people have all that we need: food, education, housing, health care, clean water, breathable air, and everything that is foundational to personal and community safety. We engaged in a diverse range of policy initiatives including…

First introduced in May 2021, Congresswoman Cori Bush continued her work on the People’s Response Act. BLMGNF continued to participate in a coalition of several Movement organizations mobilizing around this piece of legislation.

With the PRA, we can:

  • Launch a federal first responders unit to address health crises.
  • Promote non-carceral, health-based responses across the government.
  • Provide $11 billion in grant funding for community safety and crisis response.
  • Create thousands of jobs for social workers, mental health counselors, and substance use counselors.

Qualified immunity protects law enforcement and government officials from being held accountable when they have violated an individual’s rights. Since 2014, the family of Andrew Joseph III have advocated for an end to qualified immunity following the wrongful death of their son. In March 2022, BLMGNF joined the family of Andrew Joseph III and Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush for a press conference in support of ending qualified immunity. The Joseph family also met with the Congressional Black Caucus and dropped off a petition with over 50,000 signatures in support of their efforts.

In September 2022, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office awarded the Joseph family $15 million in a wrongful death suit, more than eight years after Andrew’s death.

In August 2021, the Senate unanimously passed an amendment to the budget resolution that would penalize local governments in their efforts to defund the police. This was an active decision to silence the voices and demands of those who protested during the 2020 uprisings against racial injustice and police violence, despite their influence in the 2020 elections. Instead of letting this news go quietly unannounced, we pushed it out across our platforms and made it known that our stance and support was betrayed.

On the first anniversary of Juneteenth’s designation as a federal holiday, we reiterated our continued push for reparations. Though we recognize the success of the sanctioning of our holiday, it rings hollow if our culture remains exploited by the relentless machine of late-stage capitalism. Every Juneteenth, we see the flocks of Juneteenth-branded merchandise on our store shelves. There is tremendous financial and political power in these companies, and for Juneteenth 2022, we demanded that American corporations reckon with how they may have profited from slavery and take steps beyond public relations.