Gregory Cendana, Chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), released the following statement on the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri:“Members of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) are saddened and outraged by the failure of the grand jury in Missouri to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. We stand with the family of Michael Brown and the peaceful protesters in Ferguson.
What has happened in Ferguson is not an isolated incident. Racial suspicion of black and brown people, especially by law enforcement, has become an epidemic in many parts of our country. Every 28 hours, an African American is killed by law enforcement. African Americans are arrested at higher rates than any other group by police departments around the United States. Latino and Asian Americans also routinely face racial profiling by law enforcement from stop-and-frisks to surveillance.
The movement in Ferguson and around the country in response to the killing of Michael Brown has sparked calls for police accountability and policies that will prohibit the militarization of police and racial profiling. We urgently call upon the White House, the Department of Justice and congressional leaders to review and address the ongoing pattern and practice of racial violence and systemic discriminatory treatment by law enforcement of our communities of color.”
We stand by Ferguson. We stand hand-in-hand with our partner organizations fighting for equality, justice, and civil rights. We pledge ourselves to re-commit to the struggle for racial justice because black lives matter.
The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), founded in 1996, is a coalition of 33 national Asian Pacific American organizations. Based in Washington D.C., NCAPA serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA & NHPI) communities and to provide a national voice on policy issues and priorities.