Statement on George Floyd and Skippy Carroll
We, the Delaware County Branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, condemn the public execution of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police. His murder falls into the deeply entrenched pattern of violence, racism and oppression upheld by policing in this country that have taken so many: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Amaud Arbery, Philando Castile, Eric Garner and others. Further, as we have seen across the country, as we fight for a better world, it is the police who threaten protests, the police who break up our picket lines, the police who selectively wield their monopoly on violence to protect those with power and privilege. Racist police violence is not incidental to the capitalist system, it is necessary to maintain its operation.
To quote Alex Vitale from the book “The End of Policing”: “The problem is not police training, police diversity, or police methods. The problem is the dramatic and unprecedented expansion and intensity of policing in the last forty years, a fundamental shift in the role of police in society.” We firmly believe strong and well-resourced communities do not require repression, and by extension, repressive institutions to keep peace.
Threats of police repression have been made from an elected leader, Robert Carroll, of the Delaware County Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 27. He stated “We’ll destroy you” in reference to any business that criticizes the police. Not only is Robert Carroll a leader in a lodge with 1,000 members across the County, he also holds a leadership position with the State of Pennsylvania Municipal Police Education and Training Commission. His threats are unacceptable, and we call for Robert Carroll to be removed from his positions in state and local agencies. We also call for our elected leaders to reprioritize budgets, defunding police in favor of meeting the needs of the community. Delaware County has no health Department during a pandemic. This is just one of the public needs that could be filled with money now spent on the police.
Eric Garner cried “I can’t breath” six years before George Floyd uttered the same words. Black lives can matter. It will require more than changing how police operate, but re-imagining the role of police in our society. Where we are in the next six years is up to us.