CEO: 'We need to change the futures of the people who depend on us and work and volunteer for us'

The death of George Floyd is shocking and distressing but sadly not new or
isolated. Many of us are old enough to remember the vicious beating of
Rodney King and the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the racism that failed
to bring his killers to justice.
The death of George Floyd and the cases that referred to are not shocking
one offs or just a case of one or two bad apples. They are part of a system
that affects the people we work with on a daily basis and the people who
work and volunteer for us. It is part of a system that sees young black and
Asian men over represented in the criminal justice system, that sees people
from BAME communities more likely to be arrested by the police and more
likely to have decisions go against them in court.
As an organisation we exist to tackle discrimination and prejudice. We
cannot be silent on this issue. As an organisation we are part of our local
community and we need to be part of the solution rather than part of the
problem. We need to accept that racism, prejudice and hate exists and be
committed to rooting it out where ever it appears.
We need to be aware of how we treat the people who use our services and
avoid profiling and stereotyping people. We need to continue to support
people stuck in the criminal justice system and we need to continue to work
to offer people solutions and routes out of poverty.
As a country we need to confront the legacy of our past and understand how
it influences the present. We need to work to change the futures of the
people who depend on us and work and volunteer for us. We need to make a
difference.