Floyd Rights is a 501c4 organization that is dedicated to strengthening the Fourth Amendment of the United States' Constitution.
We believe in protecting the rights and safety of everyone, particularly those engaged by the police. Police officers have a job to do, which must include protecting each of us in a manner that respects our dignity as fellow human beings.
We believe that the Floyd Rights are not only an important addition to the Justice system -- but also a necessary change to help eradicate systemic racism.
We believe in our ultimate goal of racial equity and social justice; and we recognize and support the work of other organizations that share and promote this mission.
Our Vision
All persons in the United States are guaranteed “Floyd Rights”, ensuring respectful and humane treatment by police.
Our Mission
To co-convene and support a social justice campaign in the United States promoting new legislation ensuring all Americans “Floyd Rights” as a key building block of much-needed policing and criminal justice reform
Floyd Rights Campaign Goals
-
Federal laws guaranteeing all Americans “Floyd Rights”
-
State laws reinforcing “Floyd Rights” for all Americans in all policing and criminal justice reforms
-
Local laws specifying additional protections for historically disadvantaged communities
-
New standard operating procedures and providing training for all police jurisdictions
-
Encoded and enforced consequences for “Floyd Rights” violations
-
Engagement and endorsement by a range of stakeholders from reformers and activists to police unions and elected officials
Our Principals
“Floyd Rights” are intended to be one component of comprehensive policing reform. Additional principals that we believe should be considered include but are not limited to:
​
-
Reinforce basic human dignity and human rights throughout the engagement, including detaining and arrest
-
Build a new community engagement force that would take the lead on calls to address non-violent crime, protests, and other civil disturbances
-
End chokeholds, kneeling on bodies, and other excessive restraints
-
End forced medication
-
Require warning before shooting
-
Exhaust all other means before shooting
-
Require de-escalation efforts to be exhausted prior to any show or use of force
-
Require real-time comprehensive reporting
-
Require duty to intervene along with encoded consequences for not intervening in cases of evident bias, excessive force, or harassment
-
Ban shooting at moving vehicles
-
End for-profit policing and prisons
-
Community oversight of all aspects of policing
-
Ban the use of the language “perpetrator” which is inconsistent with the American standard that all are considered innocent until found guilty by a court of law
-
​An end to the militarization of police forces, and buy backs of all military weaponry and equipment
​
The Catalyst for Floyd Rights
The catalyst for Floyd Rights is the Black Lives Matter movement which gained extraordinary momentum following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis, MN police officer Derek Chauvin and his fellow officers who prevented anyone from intervening. However, Floyd Rights will serve everyone who is detained by the police.
It is important to note, George Floyd was one in a long and continuing line of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) who have been treated inhumanely, subjected to police brutality, or been murdered by police officers. In addition, LGBTQI individuals and people of all backgrounds living in poverty experience similar problems.
Ultimately, we will all benefit from Floyd Rights in the same way we are served by Miranda Rights. It is a reminder for all that we must respect one another's humanity as well as the safety of our community, even under the most difficult circumstances.