Statement of the UNITE HERE Black Leadership Group & UNITE HERE Philly on the Killing of Walter Wallace Jr.
October 28, 2020
Once again we see the senseless killing of a black man at the hands of police. Walter Wallace Jr. should be alive today, his life mattered. We mourn with his family and our community over his death.
Over the past month we have been talking to Philadelphia residents from every area of our city. Systematic racism is a problem in every neighborhood in Philadelphia and across our country.
This must stop and we are not going to stop pushing for equality and justice until there is equality and justice for all.
In this election, we are fighting for our lives.
When George Floyd was murdered four months ago we asked you to hear our cry.
Our wounds never get the chance to heal.
Yesterday as we canvassed in West Philadelphia, police shot and killed Walter Wallace, 27-year old Black man who was simply in need of help. Philadelphia is in pain.
ENOUGH!
We say ENOUGH of the poverty, the racism, the theft, the cruelty, the savagery.
The Black Leadership Group has proudly risen to our union’s call to Take Back 2020 and we will keep rising.
We are with you doing data, admin, canvassing, recruiting, phone banking, and everything we can think of to fight back with everything we’ve got.
We are taking back our power. We are taking back our lives.
And we are doing it through our fear, our rage and our tears.
Still.
We are calling on you to join us in giving this fight everything you’ve got.
We need our whole family, immigrants, queer, all races, all voices saying with one breath that
OUR LIVES MATTER.
In these final days, ask yourself if there is anything more that you can do.
And then go do it.
This is the fight of our lives.
UNITE HERE Black Leadership Group
UNITE HERE Philly — Local 634, Local 274, Local 54