In the summer of 2020, it was just a name and a poster. Over the years, we have built a nonprofit supporting vulnerable people in the community.
We say Cats not Cops because cats are domesticated animals in
the US that often signify cute, furry companions. We believe people deserve loving friends such as cats instead of added stress and trauma from more policing. This message comes after a young girl who drew a cat nearly two months after George Floyd was murdered. The tensions between the people and law enforcement were high in the community. We always believed we could bring love and peace to the people, so we started creating messages that were posted near and around the state capitol on five different occasions. On June 22, 2020, we met Defund the Police, We the People 303, community advocates, and many other organizations fighting for justice and equality for families especially those experiencing police harassment and brutality. Many issues on the streets are related to the socioeconomic imbalance of power and wealth.
This is a platform designed to stop police brutality, violence and systematic racism/oppression. These controversial issues are not new to the United States or around the world. In my recent study, Broken Pipelines: Exploring the Obstacles Blacks and Latinos Face in Accessing Higher Education, I concluded that the pipelines are not broken. The system established two paths for the people, one pipeline of wealth and higher education serving the leaders and second pipeline consisting of poverty and low education for the servants. This type of behavior marginalizes populations hindering opportunities of accessing basic needs such as housing, water, food, employment, education, justice, and health services. Today, I am standing up for the people,
Cats not Cops demands investments that improve the way of living for all families especially people of color, women, elderly, disabled, veterans, GLBTQ, and any other underrepresented groups. Stop the hate! Stop the violence! Stop marginalizing paths.
This platform is about building a strong community and supporting others. We hope to decrease discrimination, violence, and love every human being.