UN Human Rights Experts Kick Off US Tour Focused on Racial Justice and Policing

A group of human rights experts with the United Nations arrived in the U.S. to begin a six-city tour focused on exploring racial justice, law enforcement, and policing issues in the country.

On Monday, the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement kicked off its two-week visit to the U.S., The Guardian reported. The group is set to visit Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York City.

The independent panel, appointed by the UN human rights council, was established in response to the international outcry following the killing of George Floyd in 2020 by a white police officer.

The UN said the trip was organized to help “further transformative change for racial justice and equality in the context of law enforcement for Africans and people of African descent.”

The team of experts will meet with government officials at federal, state, and local levels, and visit law enforcement authorities, civil society organizations, and detention centers. They’ll also review existing laws and practices surrounding the use of force by law enforcement officials and examine how aligned they are with international human rights standards.

“We look forward to gaining first-hand insight about the lived experiences of people of African descent in the United States,” panel member Juan Méndez said.

“And to offer recommendations to the government at all levels, to support efforts in combating systemic racism and excessive use of force, and ensure accountability and justice.”

Activists across the country have been applauding the UN tour and are hopeful for the results it might produce.

“Extrajudicial killings have become increasingly routine in American policing,” Collette Flanagan, the founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality said. Flanagan’s son Clinton Allen was killed by police in Dallas in 2013.

“They happen literally every day. This deadly police brutality represents a massive human rights violation that falls most heavily on people of African descent.”

“We welcome the Expert Mechanism to Atlanta in the name of our martyred children,” she continued. “We hope this visit will help us move our country to live up to its obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights agreements.”