To the University of Pennsylvania community and beyond,

On May 25th, 2020 George Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while he was already handcuffed face down on the street.  It took protests in all 50 states across the US to generate enough recognition for this incident to appropriately charge the officers involved in George Floyd’s murder. Even still, it is unclear whether convictions will occur, as there have been many other instances when the officers in question were later excused and returned to work at the same precinct. To the police officers involved and those that condone such atrocities, he may have been just another Black man to discriminate against with lethal excessive force, but to his family and those who knew him, George was a son, a brother, a father, a husband, and a friend. The waves of protest in response to this case represent legitimate frustration and anger not only at his murder, but anger at countless unarmed victims of police brutality and the continued failures of our criminal justice system.

We as a community of researchers, physicians, and public servants of health care are appalled, frustrated, and devastated by the excessive use of force and intimidation fueled by racial bias that is used by law enforcement officers.  The use of excessive force and this perceived abuse of power by law enforcement officers who have pledged to serve and protect should not be condoned any longer.  We demand social justice and progressive change in the form of concrete actions.

Penn as an institution maintains close ties with the state and local police. Therefore, it’s essential that Penn re-examine this relationship to assess how this entity can be reformed to reflect the University’s values of diversity and inclusion.  If we want to combat racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, we must first educate ourselves on the pervasiveness of this problem. Black men and women are about 2.5x and 1.4x more likely to be killed by police than white men and women, respectively. This data gives evidence to the systemic, institutional racism that has gone unchecked for decades. Yet, what is most disheartening is the resistance of police agencies in the U.S. to implement new policies and reform, such as the restrictive use of force policies that have been projected to curtail police violence by almost 72%.

Provost Wendell Pritchett and President Amy Gutmann announced Penn’s support of projects that will engage our community within the University and our integration with the larger Philadelphia community. This pledge for more connection and inclusivity is essential and we hope their words will be followed by tangible actions. While we wholeheartedly support these valuable initiatives, we do not feel as though the leadership at Penn has made any statement or commitment to address the unprecedented violence and brutality exhibited by our country's police force against people of color. If our University wants to see all of its community members, friends and family served and protected equally, we need to stand up for change through law enforcement reform.

Thus, we are asking Penn President Amy Gutmann, the Provost Wendell Pritchett, and all 12 Deans to publicly support the following points described below in the form of a documented letter to the Mayor of Philadelphia.

1. Implement all eight policies or those remaining to be enacted currently outlined by Campaign Zero in 8 Can’t Wait project that can reduce police violence by up to 72% if fully enacted.
   • Ban chokeholds and strangleholds
   • Require de-escalation
   • Require warning before shooting
   • Requires exhaust all alternatives before shooting
   • Duty to intervene
   • Ban shooting at moving vehicle
   • Require use of force continuum

   • Require comprehensive reporting

2. Update policies to explicitly remove law enforcement officers with a history of excessive force complaints. Strip all rights to a pension from those officers convicted of murdering unarmed citizens.
3. Institute mandatory civilian oversight structures statewide and remove any barriers to reporting police misconduct.
4. Enforce training programs that emphasize de-escalation efforts and diminish the use of brutal force for officers throughout their career as outlined by Pillar 5 of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing Report.

Our signatures below represent support of the Penn community and our belief that these immediate actions will contribute to real change to fight racial inequity.

Note: If you want to share these demands with your local and state legislators, find our email template here.