Olympia, Wash.—The Washington Federation of State Employees (AFSCME Council 28) Executive Committee released the following statement condemning the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd:
“We are a union of tens of thousands of people in Washington State, advocating better lives for ourselves, each other and our families. We value justice.
When Black Americans—like Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd—going about their daily lives are killed with impunity and their murderers are not held accountable, that is not justice. And we have to fight back.
WFSE stands with all of our union siblings, and especially the millions who have disproportionately suffered violence and loss due to white supremacy. These ongoing killings in our communities lay to bare the deeply entrenched structural racism that must be addressed.
We demand that the people who took part in these senseless killings be brought to justice. Without justice, there can be no peace.
We echo AFSCME International President Lee Saunder’s statement:
‘The killing of George Floyd was a shocking and heinous act of violence that demands accountability. There can be no public safety unless innocent, unarmed African Americans feel safe walking the streets in their communities.’”
