We, the undersigned residents of Evansville allies, demand that our city take immediate steps to address the historic and ongoing injustices faced by Black residents. For generations, Black residents in Evansville have faced discrimination, including unequal access to housing, employment, and fair treatment by law enforcement. Today, many Black workers still experience harassment and retaliation on the job, while Black youth continue to be racially profiled and intimidated by police in their own neighborhoods.

This ongoing pattern has caused deep harm, mistrust, and trauma across our community. Evansville has never taken meaningful steps to repair these injustices or hold institutions accountable. The city must address these past and present harms and establish real pathways toward justice. Local law enforcement knows they have hurt us—they have heard us say it over and over again. Yet they ignore our pain and continue to repeat the offense, showing us their deliberate disregard by law enforcement for the lives and dignity of our community. We demand the right to due process under the law, not police execution as the first choice. Too often, officers justify the killing of Black residents by claiming self-preservation and defense, instead of treating lethal force as an absolute last resort, the last chance to preserve life. This ongoing pattern of abuse has scarred our community across decades, leaving deep mistrust and pain that continues today. 

We demand the creation of a Reparations Commission to repair historic harms, beginning with pilot programs such as housing grants, business loans, and scholarships funded by city revenue. We demand an independent investigation into racial bias within the Evansville Police Department, including disparities between white and Black officers in arrests, use of force, and community interactions. We demand an end to the harassment of Black youth in our neighborhoods, protection for Black workers against workplace retaliation, and real accountability for cases such as Walter Baker Jr., Everett Nunn, Rico Pam, and countless others.

Justice delayed is justice denied. Reparations must begin now. We call on Mayor Terry, the Evansville City Council, and the Evansville Police Department to formally adopt these demands, begin the process of reparations immediately, and commit to transparency, accountability, and justice for Evansville's Black community.

We, the undersigned, demand reparations and racial justice in Evansville, Indiana.