The National Black Caucus of the Young Elected Officials Network (NBC YEON) has released an open letter to the Trump administration in a call to end violence and police brutality against black communities. 

The letter, which was published on April 5, has been signed by 66 elected officials. This step has been sparked by the White House’s lack of adequate response to the police shooting of Stephon Clark, who was in his grandparents' backyard when police thought his cellphone was a gun and killed him. Though many question whether Clark was engaging in illegal activity because police were responding to a call concerning someone breaking into cars, being guilty of this crime would not warrant an execution. 

In response to the fatal shooting, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the situation a “local matter, and… something that we feel should be left up to the local authorities at this point and time.”

This, however, is not enough for the NBC YEON, as the lack of acknowledgement and action on the behalf of the White House has been severely lacking. 

“We as members of the National Black Caucus of the Young Elected Officials Network stand together to call for immediate actions that lead our nation to ending police violence and state-supported violence on black people,” the letter reads. 

“Police brutality is a national issue,” Baltimore City Council Member Brandon Scott told The People For the American Way. “President Trump’s comments to the contrary, that this is just a local issue, are disrespectful. If we are truly going to solve this, we need the Department of Justice to invest nationally in body camera technology and law enforcement training.”

The non-partisan organization’s current demands are as follows:

• Federal, state, and local prosecutors to prosecute police misconduct. We expect prosecutors to achieve justice and use their power to monitor police abuse.
• Local prosecutors to create a local civil rights unit dedicated to investigating and prosecuting police misconduct fairly, transparently, and independently.
• State attorneys general to provide recommendations and guidelines for local prosecutors and investigators of misconduct to ensure police accountability.
• DOJ as well as state and local prosecutors to launch systemic investigations when agencies are suspected of engaging in “pattern or practice” violations and discrimination.
• Local mayors and city councils to create civilian oversight structures, select police chiefs who prioritize building trust with communities, conduct de-escalation and life preserving trainings, develop protocols to ensure these trainings are observed, and support alternative mental health interventions.
• Every police department to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve and reject misguided practices such as “broken windows“ and “stop & frisk.”
• Explore regulations on police use of firearms.

“We have all come together to say ‘enough’ to losing black lives in our communities… It’s in the nation and state’s interest to end this violence in our communities because Black families cannot afford this misstep,” David Bowen, a Wisconsin state legislator from Milwaukee, told The People For The American Way.