Residents of the Palouse region and University of Idaho students demand that President Green and Vice President of Infrastructure Ewart terminate the contract between the University of Idaho and the Moscow Police Department.

We, the undersigned students and allies, stand in solidarity with protestors across the country who are speaking out in response to the brutal murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police. We are equally outraged by the recent murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and numerous others who have lost their lives at the hands of police departments across the country. In response to the murder of George Floyd, the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Public Schools have terminated their contracts with the Minneapolis Police Department. Similar actions have been taken across the country to end these relationships which support violence and uphold the white supremacy foundational to this country.

We appreciate President Green’s words in honor of George Floyd, and we agree with him that “we still have a lot of work to do to ensure...no one has to live in fear of being killed simply because of their race" and that "there is no room for disagreement when it comes to basic human civil rights." However, words of appreciation for diversity and inclusion are insufficient. It is our job as an institution to keep students safe and demand justice in our city, state, and country.

So, students, faculty, staff and residents of the region now call on President Green and Vice President Ewart to agree to terminate the multi-year multi-million dollar contract between the University and the Moscow Police Department that is set to renew on September 30, 2020. We demand that the University divert these funds toward community-led public safety and toward organizations that are doing work to defend and uplift black lives.