Content Warning: The following statement discusses ableism, racism, and police violence. Please take care in all the ways you have access to.
Our hearts overflow with grief and rage over the police killing of Victor Perez, an Autistic Latine teenager in Pocatello, Idaho on April 5th. As we learned that Victor, who had been in a coma since the shooting, was removed from life support on Saturday, it felt like our world ground to a halt. Another murder of our disabled kin by police – how do we continue on amongst such racist and ableist violence, through our immense loss? Victor Perez was a precious, beloved son and community member and he should be here with us today.
Protests are taking place this week in Idaho and across the country, demanding justice for Victor Perez, demanding a real reckoning with the deadly intersections of racism, and ableism, and violence that resulted in Victor’s death and the death of so many others. According to the Center for American Progress, in the United States, 50 percent of people killed by law enforcement are disabled, and more than half of disabled African Americans have been arrested by the time they turn 28—double the risk in comparison to their white disabled counterparts.
Barely a year has gone by since we were mourning the loss of Ryan Gainer, a Black Autistic teenager killed by San Bernardino Police; or screaming Sonya Massey’s name, a Black disabled mother killed by Illinois State Police. Here in Berkeley, where Center for Independent Living is located, we will never forget Kayla Moore – a Black trans woman with mental health disabilities who was killed by the Berkeley Police Department during a wellness check on February 12th, 2013. The fight continues for #JusticeForKaylaMoore; please read more on Berkeley Cop Watch’s campaign page.
We are living under a time of increased violence and threats to disability communities, particularly queer and trans disabled people, Black and Indigenous disabled people and disabled people of color, and disabled immigrants. Right now, disabled people across the country are rallying and fighting cuts to Medicaid, resisting the transphobic attempts to dismantle Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, trying to protect our immigrant communities from the terror of unlawful deportations – and we must remember that it is vital that CIL, and independent living centers and disability rights organizations across the country, make addressing racist and ableist violence our most urgent task. We must take action! Connect with local immigrant-led defense groups and racial justice organizations. Follow disability-led groups to see how you can fight against police violence.
Justice for Victor Perez. We urge our community to support Victor’s family in the aftermath of his loss, a GoFundMe has been started and can be accessed here.
