The Problem

In the United States, more than one thousand people are killed by the police every year. Police brutality, the unwarranted and often excessive use of violence by law enforcement personnel, is often associated with racial profiling, discrimination against minorities and harassment of targeted people. Victims of police brutality are predominantly people of colour and low income. In such situations, law enforcement is rarely held accountable for their actions and there are not enough policies in place to make sure people get the justice they deserve. 

Facts and Figures

• Despite only making up 13% of the US population, Black Americans are two-and-a-half times as likely to be killed by the police compared to white Americans. 

• In 2018, 8 of the 100 largest city police departments killed black men at higher rates than the US murder rate. 

• 99% of killings by police from 2013-2019 have resulted in officers walking away without any charges .

• There were only 27 days in 2019 where police did not kill someone in the United States. 

• An estimated 45 million Americans have adopted more progressive views on race and racism since the protests to end police violence began in 2014. 

The solutions

Urgent solutions include legal support and education for people who are likely to be victims of police brutality. In the longer term, governments should adjust policies, regulations and laws to strictly hold law enforcement accountable for their actions. All law enforcement officers in the field should be thoroughly screened and trained on racism and racial injustice. We also need to support research on accountability, discrimination and racism specifically in regards to law enforcement. Finally, the longest term solution, the one all of the shorter-term ones leads up to and the only thing that will solve the problem for good: dismantling institutional and systemic racism. 

Below is a collection of thirteen Kinder-vetted organisations that are directly or indirectly related to combating racial injustice, police brutality, and discrimination against Black people by law enforcement and legal systems. We have made sure there is a mix of organisations tackling the issues from different angles. 

Areas of focus include: 

• Bail funds for protesters

• Structural and systemic racism and police brutality research

• Support, protection and lobbying for Black people’s civil rights 

• Civil and human rights education 

• Police accountability and criminal justice

• Promoting Black communities, rights and lives

• Mental Health support

Charities YOU CAN SUPPORT 

All organisations in this collection operate in the United States. Unless stated otherwise, they work nationwide.

Communities United Against Police Brutality

CUAPB was established to deal with police brutality on an ongoing basis. The organisation works on daily cases of police violence  as well as taking on the more extreme cases. They combat police brutality from numerous angles, including political and legislative action, education, research, and advocacy for victims and their families.
(visit their website)

National Police Accountability Project

NPAP is a project of the National Lawyers Guild. The project aims to protect the human and civil rights of individuals in their encounters with law enforcement and detention facility personnel. The central mission of NPAP is to promote holding law enforcement officers and their employers accountable for violations of the Constitution and laws of the United States. (visit their website)

Campaign Zero

This research-driven organisation aims to end police interventions, improve community interactions and accountability. They support the analysis of policing practices across the country, conduct research to identify effective solutions, provide technical assistance to organizers leading police accountability campaigns and develop legislation and advocacy to end police violence nationwide. (visit their website)

Black Lives Matter

BLM is a member-led organisation dedicated to ending white supremacy and building local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. They do so by combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and emphasising Black joy. (visit their website)

Minnesota Freedom Fund

The MN Freedom Fund is a community based nonprofit that combats the harms of unjust incarceration by paying bail for low-income individuals. They work to secure cash bail bonds for individuals who would otherwise be unable to secure their own bail. Their work is very important during times of active protesting. (visit their website)

Race Forward

Race Forward produces research and organises actions for communities, governments, and other institutions to dismantle structural racial inequity. They also host local government action, curate a daily news site on race issues, and organise a multi-racial conference on racial justice. (visit their website)

ABFE - A philanthropic partnership for black communities

BFE is a membership-based philanthropic organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities. Partnering with foundations, nonprofits and individuals, ABFE provides its members with professional development and technical assistance resources that further the philanthropic sector’s connection and responsiveness to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. (visit their website)

Mothers against Police Brutality

MAPB formed to unite mothers who have lost their children to police violence. Every year families lose children and other loved ones to police killings. This organisation is run by a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition that united mothers nationwide to fight for civil rights, police accountability, and policy reform. (visit their website)

ACLU Minnesota

This organisation promotes, protects, and extends the civil liberties and civil rights of people in Minnesota by litigation, lobbying and community engagement. They protect civil rights by selecting, negotiating, and trying cases with the potential to establish legal precedent, broaden interpretation and strengthen civil liberties. (visit their website)

Black Mental Health Alliance

This organisation develops, promotes and sponsors educational forums, training and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black people and other vulnerable communities. They work with clinicians, local communities and individuals, to provide much needed mental health support. (visit their website)

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP)

The NAACP aims to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination. They work to educate individuals on their constitutional rights and take all lawful action to secure exercise thereof. (visit their website)

Advancement Project

This is an organisation focusing on legal, civil and educational equality. AP is a next-generation, multi-racial civil rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice, they exist to fulfill America’s promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy. They use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change. (visit their website)

The Bail Project

This organisation combats injustice in mass incarceration. They pay bail for people in need, reunite families and restore the presumption of innocence. Bails are returned to the fund and then ‘recycled’ for the next person in need, maximizing each dollar. This project is a critical tool to prevent incarceration and combat racial and economic disparities in the bail system. (visit their website)

Thank you to Eleanor Marsh for volunteering her time to help complete this appeal.