ACLU of NebraskaVerified account

For justice to be done, Mayor Stothert and City Attorney Kuhse need to make good on this promise and also make the same flat offer available to everyone with a curfew violation including those who are currently or formerly system involved. No stipulations.

Imposing different requirements does nothing to make us safer, it just punishes protesters with firsthand experience of our broken criminal system for speaking out against it.

Bottom line - both mayors and local law enforcement met cries for justice with a militarized response that criminalized speech and furthered the same racial injustice Nebraskans were protesting. The very least they can do is take responsibility and help undo some of the harm.

The mass arrests of protesters show exactly why people are raising concerns about the role of police in our communities. Police should be focused on true public safety threats, not arresting people for opposing racism.

Now is the right time to tell city and county leaders where your priorities are. We can't afford the status quo from a fiscal or public health perspective. We need to redirect money from law enforcement budgets and reinvest in the community.