FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2017
The Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council was shocked and saddened by the June 29th police action shooting that resulted in the death of Aaron Bailey, an unarmed black man. The circumstances of Mr. Bailey’s death leaves the entire Indianapolis community searching for answers and seeking justice.
The Jewish community reaffirms our unshakable commitment to working alongside our friends in the African American community, and other communities of color, to rectify the systemic bias and racism that exists in our criminal justice system and plagues our society as a whole. We join many others in calling for transparency and accountability to ensure equal treatment under the law for all. And we echo the sentiment of the African American Coalition of Indianapolis in recognizing that the best of IMPD protects and serves our community with integrity every day.
Nearly one year ago, JCRC issued a statement following the killings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, in which we made a similar call for change and shared the words: “enough is enough, not one more…” We know, however, that political reform and changing the system will require more than just words; it will require deep listening that will build empathy, difficult conversations that will build trust, and inspired action that will build broad coalitions of people who will collectively advocate and march. The greater Indianapolis Jewish community will continue to engage in all the ways possible to help bring about the social change we all deserve.
