STATEMENT ON THE MURDER OF DUANTE WRIGHT

April 13th, 2021

Portsmouth, VA: Today, Nadarius Clark, candidate for delegate in the 79th district, released the following statement regarding the murder of Duante Wright. 

 “It sickens me that we still face this problem in America. This is why I feel such a sense of urgency in my candidacy for delegate. I’m only five years older than Daunte. I’ve been profiled by police during traffic stops. 

I’ve seen the double standard first hand of how police interact with the radical right, while cracking down on the Black Lives Matter protests I helped lead in Richmond, Norfolk, Hampton, and Newport News. I’ve been pepper sprayed and our protests were gas bombed.

We need to immediately reevaluate the force and public funding at the disposal of our police. We need more alternative dispute resolution and less police involvement across the board. If a police officer can’t tell the difference between a taser and lethal firearm, they shouldn’t be trusted with either. 

A federal investigation needs to be launched into this crime and the officer involved needs to be arrested and criminally prosecuted. No one can be above the law.

No one should lose their life over a traffic stop.

I extend my condolences and prayers to the family of Mr. Duante Wright. Our country continues to fail the memory of the young Black men and women who have been killed by those who claim to protect and serve them. 

I stand in solidarity with everyone out in the streets making sure we all remember the names of Duante, Philando, George, Breonna, Freddie, Eric, Tamir, and the countless others whose lives were cut short by an unjust justice system. We can’t rest until we realize the kind of society where this senseless death is an embarrassing relic of the past.”

-Nadarius Clark

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