20.500.12592/5nh2k7
Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative: Initial Report
3 August 2020
Summary
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed by four Minneapolis Police Officers. The incident was captured on video for the world to see. Floyd’s death was senseless and an appalling reminder that racial inequity continues in our communities and amongst the structures meant to serve them. Across the nation, including here in Long Beach, people took to the streets in public outcry to condemn the violence and racial inequities that have systematically impacted all people of color, Black people in particular. On June 9, 2020, the Long Beach City Council engaged in an earnest conversation about racism as a public health crisis, the need to restore public trust in City government, and how to reconcile a gap in the experiences of impacted and vulnerable people with current City policies, especially the Black community. The City Council called upon City staff (Staff) to prepare a report that would put the City Council in a position to enact culture and system change.
