CISPES is outraged by yesterday’s decision by a St. Louis County Grand Jury to not indict Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, an 18-year old, unarmed black man on August 9^th of this year. The Grand Jury decision demonstrates the total impunity with which security forces in the United States continue to murder black people. CISPES joins our voice to the millions calling for an immediate end to state violence against people of color, one of the many manifestations of the white supremacy that defines so much of our nation, past and present.

As a solidarity organization, CISPES has, for over 30 years, supported the people of El Salvador in their struggle for self-determination in the face of repressive state forces. Today, we express our grief for the loss of a young life and our solidarity with the people of Ferguson who are organizing and fighting in the streets for their own self-determination. We raise our voices with all those demanding justice for Michael Brown and for communities of color all over the United States that are terrorized by racist police forces and the local, state and national governments that protect them.

The militarized police response to the protests that followed Michael Brown’s murder and the state of siege that began in Ferguson last night as a result of the Missouri governor’s decision to deploy the National Guard against the community uprising appall and horrify us. It’s just one step but if you haven’t already, please call on your Congressional Representative to co-sponsor Rep. Hank Johnson’s bill, HR 5478, the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act.

Black lives matter, and it is time for all of us to take up or re-commit to the struggle against the systemic and deadly racism in our society by joining in solidarity with Black-led, community-based organizations that are organizing to build a new, just society.