FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION November 25, 2014

NATIONAL LATINO LEADERS STAND WITH THE BROWN FAMILY IN CALLING FOR JUSTICE FOR MICHAEL BROWN AND ALL MEN OF COLOR

Coalition Calls on Nation to Address the Excessive Use of Force by Law Enforcement on People of Color Across the Nation

Washington, DC -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 of the nation's preeminent Latino organizations, spoke on the tragedy of Michael Brown's death, which is now followed by the tragic failure of the legal system to force the policeman to stand trial. Yesterday’s decision was not justice nor will it restore faith in the system for the residents of Ferguson or for black and Latino communities throughout the country.

The NHLA supports any efforts to ensure accountability in the manner in which this decision was reached, and NHLA members issued the following statements in response to the decision of the grand jury in Ferguson, MO, to not indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.

“Excessive force by law enforcement officers far too often leads to death or serious injuries of Black and Hispanic men. Worse, these actions by police officers continue to go largely unchallenged. We have long added our voice to the call on the Department of Justice to address increased racial profiling, detention, and excessive force by local law enforcement. We renew that call with even greater urgency today,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

“In less than a week with have two clear examples of the unique power that prosecutor’s hold by way of prosecutorial discretion. Last week President Obama ordered his law enforcement apparatus to stand down, announcing that it was more important to maintain families together and urge the Latino undocumented to come out of the shadows – with clear benefits to the U.S. economy – than to prosecute 5 million more deportations. Last night St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced that his painstaking presentation of ‘every scrap of evidence’ to the Grand Jury in its search for the ‘truth’ came back with no charges against Officer Wilson. Who in that Grand Jury courtroom advanced the interest of the victim of the possible crime? Apparently, no one,” said Juan Cartagena, NHLA Civil Rights Committee Co-Chair and President & General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “That is the tragic result of our criminal justice system in Ferguson which only adds to the tragedy of Michael Brown’s family knowing that their son, unarmed, was killed without justification.”

“Unsurprisingly, another state criminal justice system has yet again proven utterly inadequate at ensuring confidence in the fairness of law enforcement and at deterring the kind of police conduct that we all ought to find unacceptable,” stated Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Civil Rights Committee Co-Chair and President and General Counsel of MALDEF. “As a nation, we must adopt and implement uniform law enforcement system accountability mechanisms that will achieve practices that preserve peace while ensuring justice. As important as federal investigations and prosecutions are, infrequent federal intervention cannot solve this problem; we must take the necessary steps to attain policing standards that aspire to something greater than simply dodging criminal liability and prosecution.”

“The handling of the Michael Brown killing by the authorities in Ferguson were mishandled throughout, making the grand jury acquittal hard to justify. It is clear that this case points to the urgent need for the federal government to take a critical look at police-community relation and the role of the entire criminal justice system throughout the country and develop approaches to make them more responsive to and respectful of communities of color. That this remains a problem in 2014 is major indictment of America’s failure to constructively improve race relations and curb the excesses of the post-9/11 security state,” said Angelo Falcón, President, National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP).

“The Ferguson grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager once again exposes the utter failure of our nation’s criminal justice system to treat our citizens equally without regard to race or ethnicity,” stated LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. “In this case, Officer Wilson literally demonized his victim before killing him and yet the grand jury did not even see fit to bring him to trial on a single count. We call upon the U.S. Department of Justice to complete their federal criminal civil rights investigation into Michael Brown’s slaying.”

“The tragedy that happened in Ferguson is a mandate to change the policy and practice of policing around the country. The fact that an unarmed black youth can be fatally shot by a police officer with no accountability or consequence is an outrage. Latino youth and immigrants too have experienced police brutality and discrimination. We stand in solidarity with the Brown family, Ferguson and the broader civil rights community in condemning the grand jury’s decision. We call on the Justice Department to take action to address the longstanding history of racial intimidation and discrimination by law enforcement across the country,” said Jose Calderon, President of Hispanic Federation.

“As a mother of a boy of color, and as a reproductive justice advocate, I am deeply saddened by the brutal shooting of Michael Brown and am extremely disappointed that officer responsible was not indicted,” said Jessica González-Rojas, Executive Director at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. “Mothers of color should not have to fear that our children will not be safe in our neighborhoods and city streets. The militarization and violent conduct, whether of police or immigration enforcement officials, are issues of human rights and racial justice, and warrant full investigation and accountability measures. My deepest condolences to Michael Brown’s family and all communities facing state violence. We must work together to dismantle systems of injustice.”

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Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. In 2013, NHLA launched the Latinos United for Immigration Reform campaign. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and LatinosUnited.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Carmen Orozco-Acosta | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (512) 787-6508 | | Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 587-4945 |