As we enter the sixth month of 2020, the historic COVID-19 pandemic is no longer dominating front pages in American newspapers. Instead, the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has inspired massive protests against police brutality in dozens of cities across the country, but also around the world. Tragically, police in many cities have used violent tactics to suppress, arrest and intimidate protesters, leaving many protesters in need of medical care and legal assistance, and reminding us of why reform is so crucial.
Neither I nor The Simple Dollar is an authoritative source on which organizations you should support, but we’ve collated the following list from verified community leaders on social media during the George Floyd protests. If you have room in your budget, even just a few dollars, and you want to do something to help, consider donating to a cause you believe in.
Note: On June 1, after a flood of donations, the Minnesota Freedom Fund asked supporters to instead “donate to George Floyd’s family & local orgs that are Black & BIPOC led.”
George Floyd Memorial Fund – “This fund is established to cover funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, lodging and travel for all court proceedings, and to assist our family in the days to come as we continue to seek justice for George. A portion of these funds will also go to the Estate of George Floyd for the benefit and care of his children and their educational fund.”
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund – “Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans. LDF also defends the gains and protections won over the past 75 years of civil rights struggle and works to improve the quality and diversity of judicial and executive appointments.”
National Bail Fund Network – “The National Bail Fund Network is made up of over sixty community bail and bond funds across the country. We regularly update this listing of community bail funds that are freeing people by paying bail/bond and are also fighting to abolish the money bail system and pretrial detention.”
The Bail Project – “The Bail Project National Revolving Bail Fund is a critical tool to prevent incarceration and combat racial and economic disparities in the bail system.”
Atlanta Solidarity Fund – “Protesters in Atlanta are demanding justice for George Floyd and an end to the system which killed him. Contribute to this bail fund to help ensure that if folks are targeted for arrest, we will be able to get them out of jail quickly.”
Reclaim the Block – “Reclaim the Block began in 2018 and organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety.”
Black Visions Collective – “Since 2017, Black Visions Collective, has been putting into practice the lessons learned from organizations before us in order to shape a political home for Black people across Minnesota. We aim to center our work in healing and transformative justice principles, intentionally develop our organizations core ‘DNA’ to ensure sustainability, and develop Minnesota’s emerging Black leadership to lead powerful campaigns.”
Communities Against Police Brutality – “A Twin-Cities based organization that was created to deal with police brutality on an ongoing basis. We work on the day-to-day abuses as well as taking on the more extreme cases.”
Antiracist Research and Policy Center – “The Antiracist Research & Policy Center aims to attract support from visionary philanthropists and foundations to fund teams of scholars, policymakers, journalists, and advocates to examine racial problems anew, innovate and broadcast practical policy solutions, and work with policymakers to implement them.”
Equal Justice Initiative – “The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.”
Campaign Zero – “Over 1,000 people are killed by police every year in America. We are calling on local, state, and federal lawmakers to take immediate action to adopt data-driven policy solutions to end this violence and hold police accountable.”
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