As an American citizen, I mourn the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Oscar Grant and the countless other innocent Black Americans that have been lost to police brutality. The nationwide flood of grief, pain, and anger we have witnessed in recent days is a response not only to these most recent tragedies but to a long history of systematic and institutionalized racism in the United States. I stand in full support of Alameda County’s Black community in their fight to ensure that no more lives are lost to racial violence and police misconduct. 

Our community’s voice has always been the catalyst of real change, and in that spirit, I unequivocally support Alameda County residents as they continue to assert their Constitutional right to peaceful protest. I encourage all residents to assemble as safely as possible by wearing face masks, social distancing, self-quarantining and seeking out Alameda County’s free testing. 

During my time in county and state government, I have sought to reform the institutions that neglect, harm, and disproportionately kill Black Americans as well as other people of color across our community. I’ve done this through efforts to advance racial equity and eliminate poverty by increasing food access, addressing health disparities, and promoting criminal justice reform. I promise our residents that I will continue listening to their voices, learning from their lived experiences, and taking actions to ensure that none of our residents has to endure the pain of inequality. 

As elected representatives of our County, it’s important to remember that the public’s trust must always be earned. With that in mind, we must demonstrate our commitment to rejecting systemic racism with every vote we take. We must show our dedication to fighting discrimination and addressing racial disparities that exist in housing, homelessness, our criminal justice system, and in the spread of COVID-19. We must live these values every day in order to show our community that racism and police brutality have no place in Alameda County.