Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic Statement on the Extrajudicial Killings of Black People in the United States

The Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic condemns the extrajudicial killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and countless other Black people in the United States. These killings are a product of the deep, enduring structural racism in the United States, particularly the systemic racism of the criminal law system, which disproportionately targets, incarcerates, and kills Black people. The Clinic also condemns the escalating use of force to suppress protests, including the use of rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray, and, in some cases, live ammunition. These recent extrajudicial killings of unarmed Black people, as well as police use of excessive force, curfews, arrests of protesters, and harassment and arrests of journalists, violate basic human rights obligations of the United States. In particular, they violate the right to life, the right to be free of discrimination, the right to liberty and security of the person, the right to freedom of expression, and the right to freedom of assembly. The United States has long committed itself to respect and protect these rights by ratifying — choosing to be bound by — the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

We recognize that we are a part of Yale University, which has its own private police force that has regularly harassed Black students and members of the New Haven community and that, last year, was involved in the police shooting of Paul Witherspoon and Stephanie Washington. Just as we are committed both to dismantling white supremacy and to holding the United States and other governments accountable to their human rights obligations, so, too, do we commit to holding our institutions, the City of New Haven, and the State of Connecticut accountable. That commitment begins with examining our own Clinic culture and procedures to ensure that they empower Black students and other students of color and that they contribute to uprooting racism.

The Clinic stands in solidarity with all those who are demanding an end to anti-Black racism and police brutality. Fighting racism, discrimination, and inequality is fighting for human rights, and we are fully committed to using our energy, skills, resources, and power to advance this work in our own Yale and New Haven communities as well as in our global community.