For Immediate Release
Contact: Brandon Collins, brandon@pharcville.org | (434) 249-3312
Charlottesville, VA — We condemn racism. Racist killing and the continued systematic oppression of Black and Brown people must stop.
The Public Housing Association of Residents (PHAR) supports systemic reforms to improve the lives of Black and Brown people. We support the #BlackLivesMatter movement and stand united with people around the world who condemn the numerous brutal police murders of Black and Brown people.
We denounce in the strongest terms the senseless murders, brutalization, harassment and all other forms of oppression on Black and Brown people, especially at and by the hands of those sworn to protect our communities.
The ideology of white supremacy and the disease of racism seek to diminish the lives of Black and Brown people. Black and Brown people have suffered greatly throughout history, and Charlottesville is no different. In fact, our community provides a shameful example of Black and Brown people suffering directly through the tragedies of lost opportunity and thru the oppressive act of over policing our minority communities.
COVID-19 has further revealed the numerous racial inequities in our country and our community. We are dreading the coming months of potentially increasing homelessness and families put in trauma because of inadequate government protections. The families who stand to suffer the most are disproportionately people of color. The evolving eviction crisis is shameful and tragic, and can still be prevented.
PHAR works to improve the lives of public housing residents – the vast majority of whom are Black – through collective action. We strive for a day when race and the color of people’s skin won’t lead to different levels of well-being or treatment at the hands of those in positions of power. On behalf of public housing residents, we hope that we all will join together in speaking out for housing justice as a racial justice issue, and working for equity.
(Photo from PHAR website)
