Black activists push for criminal justice system overhaul

DETROIT — Black activists believe the police killing of George Floyd and the nationwide civil unrest that followed could be the catalyst for overhauling the criminal justice system. “This pandemic pulled back the curtains on decades of disinvestment, decades of devaluing and also now one of the major issues that black communities face is violence at the hands of the police.” Many activists believe the unrest could be an opportunity to press Democratic leadership, including presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, to address criminal justice in a deeper way. “We’ve got to start showing the power of engaging wiser and smarter in political processes.” Agnew, who co-founded the Dream Defenders in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s killing and was a senior adviser to Sanders’ campaign, said he believes black people cannot afford four more years of President Donald Trump, who has threatened to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to quell the civil unrest. “The onus right now is on Joe Biden to make a compelling case to young people or black people that he is going to be a president that represents their values in the White House.” Meanwhile, public health experts say it’s time for the nation to treat police brutality as a public health hazard. To help save or improve the lives of black people, Anderson said, public health professionals need to “advocate for the defunding or at least the deconstruction of the current police system that we currently have because it is in fact endangering the lives of black people.” ___ Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this report.