Port of Oakland issues statement on racial justice

The Port of Oakland today issued the following statement regarding racial justice and the killing May 25 of George Floyd in Minneapolis:

The Port of Oakland, as a member of the Oakland East Bay community and a public enterprise of international commerce, supports the movement for social and racial justice. The May 25 killing of George Floyd at the hands of police is another in a long running list of examples of outrageous official violence against Black and Brown people in this country. The anger and anguish expressed in public demonstrations are rightful and gut-wrenching. Many Port employees are personally affected, and the Port supports the full airing of the impacts and implications of continuing injustice. The Port recognizes that justice and equality will not happen if institutions continue to perpetuate the systems of discrimination and violence, as is the case with the practices of too many police departments and with government policies based on racist myths repeated by too many politicians. The Port supports a thorough reckoning of the nation’s racist history in order to end violence against our lives, to enrich our human spirit and to achieve social and economic enterprises that are just and fair.