Police use of lethal force in the United States is on the rise, with more police killings reported in 2024 than any other year on record. This gruesome milestone was reached due to increased access to military-grade weaponry, aggressive suppression of civic space, and the continuation of a historical pattern of violence against Black people.

This submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Summary, Extrajudicial or Arbitrary Executions documents how police violence in the United States disproportionately targets Black communities and is enabled by systemic impunity, militarization, and suppression of civic space. It traces the racialized evolution of policing in the United States, from slave patrols to modern departments armed with military-grade equipment. And it shows how these forces are increasingly deployed to control protest and criminalize dissent.

The report highlights emblematic cases like the killings of Mike Brown, Rekia Boyd, and Manuel “Tortuguita” Paez Terán. Each of these cases shows how U.S. officials failto hold police accountable for extrajudicial killings.

What solutions exist?

The submission highlights the urgent need to demilitarize police, improve data collection and reporting on lethal police violence, and most importantly, ensure consequences and accountability for fatal abuses of power.

How can I get involved?

Read our submission to learn how the United States enables continued police killings.

June 20, 2024

Submission to Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions on trends and patterns in lethal police violence in the United States