Nearly ten months ago, George Floyd died while in police custody. This week, Derek Chauvin goes on trial for second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter

We recognize our programs do not operate in silos, removed from what is happening in our community. We will feel the impact of this trial and the tension and trauma it brings, particularly for our Black staff and residents. We continue to provide support to the Missions Inc. community and seek new ways of supporting our community further during this time.

We also recognize these were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern of police brutality and systemic racism that permeates our society and is killing our Black and Brown neighbors and communities.

In our work towards a vision of “a world where every person realizes their worth and lives with dignity free from addiction and abuse,” we identify the systemic racism in our institutions that prevents the realization of this vision.

Missions Inc. Programs has important relationships with Plymouth, New Hope and other suburban police departments in service to survivors of domestic violence and people experiencing intoxication and withdrawal.

We pledge to continue to find ways to challenge systemic racism – in our own organization, in our communities, in our relationship with criminal justice and all systems partners, in domestic violence and chemical dependency spaces – throughout the duration of this trial and far beyond it.