To the family and friends of George Floyd, and to all members of the Houston Bar Association:
On behalf of the Houston Bar Association, I write to express our sincere condolences for the loss of Houstonian George Floyd. His recent death in Minneapolis while in police custody was tragic and senseless. We join the demand for a full investigation and for those responsible to be appropriately brought to justice.
This tragedy underscores the alarming prevalence of similar incidents across our country — unnecessary deaths at the hands of law enforcement or because of intolerance and hate. We support all Houstonians expressing grief and outrage for the needless deaths of George Floyd and others. We encourage everyone to come together as Houstonians and be there for each other, as we have done in other tragedies and crises affecting our city.
The Houston Bar Association, with nearly 11,000 lawyers, wants to lead and listen. We are fully committed to a criminal justice system that is just and fair, with support and trust from our diverse citizenry and law enforcement officials. We believe that all lawyers, as licensed officers of the court, have a responsibility to be engaged in the critically important issues confronting their communities, particularly those that involve the rule of law.
To that end, the Houston Bar Association will provide significant focus immediately and throughout this bar year to studying our system of justice in Harris County and facilitating meaningful dialogue about issues such as institutional racism, implicit bias and justice reform. We hope that, together, we can identify changes that could reduce the risk that tragedies like the death of George Floyd take place here. By doing so, our actions will honor the memory of Mr. Floyd and help make our city a kinder, safer place for all.
With our profound sorrow and sympathies, and with resolve to do our part to eliminate injustice,
Bill Kroger
President, Houston Bar Association
The May-June 2018 issue of The Houston Lawyer featured articles on law enforcement and justice. Please click here to read that issue.