The aftermath of Michael Brown’s killing has inspired a number of responses around the nation and sparked eye-opening events in the rural town of Ferguson, Missouri. Behind the clash between law enforcement and civilian protest lies a narrative of unjustified and disproportional police force that the Stanford Black Law Students Association (“Stanford BLSA”) would like to bring back to the forefront.

This summer has once again reminded the nation of the tragic realities that can occur when law enforcement treats people of color in unjust or uneven manners. Michael Brown is the most recent victim of disproportional police force, but Stanford BLSA calls attention to the equally tragic deaths of John Crawford, Ezell Ford, and Eric Garner at the hands of law enforcement. With Ferguson under the magnifying glass of the nation, Stanford BLSA begins the 2014-15 academic year with the goals of promoting positive policy change concerning the interaction between law enforcement and people of color and becoming a beacon of social awareness. Our participation in #HandsUpDontShoot marks the start of a school year that will focus on the social, political, and economic realities that affect black Americans, as well as all other persons of color, suffering from the disparate impacts of an imbalanced system.

Coming off of the heels of our first Black History Month Gala—a candid discussion concerning the next 50 years of civil rights and racial justice in the United States led by U.S. Associate Attorney General Tony West and Senior Fellow at American Progress Maya Harris—Stanford BLSA feels it is our duty to press forward with our goals of improving race relations, reminding the nation that these tragedies can and will result in positive changes in the realm of social and racial equality.

The Stanford Black Law Students Association is a student-run organization that strives to provide career and academic support for black law students, law students of color, allies, and the greater law school community while providing an open environment for social discourse. With U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder heading to Ferguson today, Stanford BLSA hopes that a fair resolution to the Michael Brown shooting is on the horizon. We wish to see a peaceful and united Ferguson in the near future.

With heavy hearts, our BLSA family offers our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Ezell Ford, John Crawford, and the countless other individuals who have been unfairly targeted by the police and subjected to police brutality. The loss of so much black life in recent months is deeply disconcerting, but provides us with a talking point as we advocate for justice and accountability by the parties responsible.

We stand with Michael Brown’s family, the countless, unnamed victims of police brutality, the outstanding outpour of peaceful and respectful protest reaching every corner of our nation, and the Ferguson community as it grapples with such an unfortunate loss. Stanford’s BLSA family stands with all of you in solidarity.

#HandsUpDontShoot
On Behalf of the Stanford Black Law Students Association,
Ashley Williams & Clifford D. Mpare, Jr.
2014-15 BLSA Co-Presidents