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.