NIOT is appealing to the experienced and committed activists around the country who have been working for decades in their communities to prevent hate and build inclusion. We need you now to step up and use your experience and connections to address the crisis in our communities and our country. You know that change will require collaboration, commitment and action by a diverse group of people working with city and civic leaders, law enforcement, schools, students and faith groups.

Stop Hate and Racism in Our Cities

A protester takes a knee during a San Jose protest on Friday after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. (Credit: Dai Sugano/East Bay Times)

The deadly, dangerous and pervasive racism that is sickening our country has been on full display in 2020, as witnesses with cell phones capture what is all too common.

Before our eyes, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer who pushed his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes, while three other officers watched in silence, and George called out, “I can’t breathe.”

As he took a run near his house in Brunswick, GA, Ahmaud Aubery was shot to death by vigilantes who claimed to be using their guns to protect their neighborhood.

A white woman in Central Park, angry that Christian Cooper, a bird watcher who had asked her to put a leash on her dog because that was the law and started filming her on his cellphone when she refused, made a potentially lethal 911 call falsely claiming that he was harassing her, telling police: “An African American man is harassing me in the park and I’m afraid.”

Thousands of Americans have taken to the streets of our cities to honor the memory of George Floyd and to express their anger at the persistent killing of black people by law enforcement who are not held accountable. You may not be in the streets but now is the time to take action in your community. Go to Stop Hate Action Kits- How to Be an Ally and Take Action [1].

No Hate, No Fear, No Violence, Not In Our Town

Activate your Not In Our Town group [2] or Start One Now [2].  Here are ways to begin.

None of us can do this alone, and no one group has “the answer” It will take all of us, and a wide variety of actions and strategies. Find out how to use your power and your voice.

What we do now will help shape the future of our country.

We stand with all who are protesting in anger and frustration at the persistent lethal destruction of racism and bigotry in our country.

To those who want to encourage violence: Whose cause will more violence advance and who will be harmed in the process? No hate, no fear, no violence, not in our town. Learn more about the six principles of nonviolence [3].

We know that white supremacists — whose agenda is steeped in hate, racism and anti-Semitism — are working together to try to sow chaos and violence [4] to advance their agenda for a “race war.” They are building common cause with gun rights activists and extremists who targeting the government and law enforcement. Their goal is to encourage violence between young people of color and law enforcement, to leverage the racism that is as old as our country and divide our communities.

Later this month, NIOT is hosting a series of webinars and conversations with community leaders, activists, and law enforcement to share strategies for local action to stop racism and hate.

Please email us [5] with your contact information, city, state, and affiliation if you are willing to participate.

Contact NIOT [5] to let us know what actions you are taking in your community.

Start now with these actions in your community

Join with others in your community, school, workplace or faith group to stand up to hate.

A line of almost all white women formed between police officers and black protesters at Thursday night's rally in downtown Louisville calling for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor. Chanelle Helm, a lead organizer for Black Lives Matter Louisville, said to white protesters using a bullhorn: "If you are going to be here, you should defend this space," asking for white folks to use their privilege, and put their bodies between police and the other demonstrators. "And people responded," Druck said. "They didn’t, they didn't need to be convinced. Everybody willingly and enthusiastically did it."  (Photo: Tim Druck, Courier-Journal [6])

Become an Active Anti-Racist

Use your power and voice to Counter Systemic Racism and Implict Bias. Look at the systems you are involved in your workplace, your school, your community. How does racism manifest there? How are people of color leading and empowered? Are you and your community working to overcome implicit bias? What role can you play in making change? 

Listen and Learn from African Americans and All who Experience Racism and Hate.

Individuals:

Take the NIOT Pledge [7] to Stop Hate and Racism 

Speak up and Stand up [1] when you hear or witness a racist statement or action.

Start a conversation about what you can do to stop hate with your family and friends.

Do more: 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice [8]

Parents:

Empower Students to be Upstanders [9]

Talk to your children about how standing up to hate and racism is a core family value.

Help them think about how to speak up safely for themselves and others.

Support your children if they have been targeted because of their identity, tell them you will support them in standing up and reporting the incident.

Students:

Be an Upstander: Stand up and Speak Out [10] when you witness racism.

Read books and educate yourself about the history of systemic racism [11] in America and stories featuring the perspectives of people of color [12].

City Leaders:

Take the pledge [13] to stop hate in your community, share your pledge, spread it and encourage people in your city to do the same. 

Reach out to local civil rights, activist leaders and youth protest groups. Listen and learn.

Make your values clear about protecting the right to protest and clear policies limiting use of force.

Lead your community in anti-hate action.

Host a joint press conference with your police chief affirming your commitment to safe policing and inclusive communities.

Educators:

Respond Quickly to Incidents [10] of bullying and racism in your classrooms.

“There is no need to see more video,” David Roddy, the police chief in Chattanooga, Tennessee, tweeted Wednesday. “There is no need to wait to see how ‘it plays out.’ There is no need to put a knee on someone’s neck for NINE minutes. There IS a need to DO something. If you wear a badge and you don’t have an issue with this … turn it in.”

Law Enforcement:

Police chiefs and other law enforcement leaders and officers can play a leading role in upholding procedural justice, fairness and the rule of law.  Stand up to racism and excessive force in your ranks. Stand with your communities. We know many of you care, and we need you now.

Here are examples from the Guardians [14], Camden, NJ [15], Arlington, TX [16], and Stockton, CA [17]. Police chiefs from across the country are expressing their anger and frustration at the killing of George Floyd.

Chief of Department of the New York City Police, Terence Monahan, takes a knee [18] with protesters in New York City.

Learn more about how to advance police reform in your agency and community. 

Download this new guide [19] from the Leadership Conference for Civil Rights.

Go to NIOT.org/COPS [20] to access action kits, films and guides that provide models for police reform and community engagement with law enforcement.