Carter Center Calls for Action Against Systemic Racism Amid Recent Police Brutality Cases

Strategic Insights -

The former President Jimmy Carter's charity, the Carter Center, has issued a statement highlighting the need for America to confront its long history of systemic racism, following the fatal shooting of a black man by an Atlanta police officer and weeks of national protests against racial injustice and police brutality. The statement emphasizes that the country must ensure full respect for and protection of the human rights of all, as established in the US Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Carter Center statement emphasizes the need for America to confront its long history of systemic racism, citing the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks by an Atlanta police officer as a stark reminder of the issue.
  • The charity highlights that the recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor have shocked the nation and caused special grief to Georgians.
  • The Carter Center calls on people of power, privilege, and moral conscience to stand up and say "no more" to a racially discriminatory police and justice system, immoral economic disparities between whites and blacks, and government actions that undermine the unified democracy.
  • The charity is urging the creation of a world of peace and equality for future generations, particularly citing the need for a government as good as its people.
  • The statement comes as President Donald Trump has announced an executive order creating a federal database of police officers with a history of using excessive force.
  • Two competing police reform bills are being advanced on Capitol Hill, with the Democratic legislation going further in several respects by banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

Statistics:

  • The fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks was the latest in a series of high-profile cases of police brutality, including the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.
  • Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been years of accumulated tensions between communities of color and law enforcement agencies across the nation.
  • According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), between 2015 and 2020, at least 1,243 people were killed by police in the United States.

Sources:

  • Carter Center statement, CNN, available at [www.cnn.com](http://www.cnn.com)
  • "Atlanta PD fires officer who shot Rayshard Brooks, CNN, [www.cnn.com](http://www.cnn.com)
  • American Civil Liberties Union, "Police Use of Force," available at [www.aclu.org](http://www.aclu.org)