Statement of June 4, 2020

Dear friends of La Sala,

La Sala Latinx Artists’ Network stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the broader movement for justice and liberation for all Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color, and for police and governmental accountability in Seattle and across the United States. As a Latinx arts and cultural organization, we are committed to challenging and breaking down systems of oppression.

All of us at La Sala mourn and are angered by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Manuel Ellis, Ahmaud Arbery and so many other Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color at the hands of this nation’s law enforcement—including John T. Williams, Che Taylor, Charleena Lyles, and 26 other people in Seattle in the last nine years. We abhor the many ways that BIPOC have been prevented from reaching their full potential because of institutionalized racism in our city and our country.

Our programming and creative practices continue to be done with a racial equity lens. We stand in solidarity for all Black lives, locally, nationally and internationally as we continue to fight for creative and racial justice. La Sala joins dozens of organizations and thousands of individuals in the Seattle area in calling on the City of Seattle to:

• Center the experiences and contributions of our Black community members, as well as other Indigenous people and people of color, in cultural and artistic programming supported by City, county, and state resources.
  

• Hold the Seattle Police Department (SPD) accountable for escalating tensions, perpetrating violence, and abusing residents who are merely exercising their first-amendment rights to free speech. 
  

• Require SPD to discontinue the use of blast bombs (also called “flashbangs”) and other grenades to control crowds, as recommended to SPD by the Community Police Commission in 2016.
  

• Release any and all protesters currently being held in detention centers and drop all charges against them.
  

In Solidarity,

The Board of Directors of La Sala: Latinx Artist Network:

Catalina M Cantú, President; Wendy Call, Vice President; Jim Cantú,Treasurer; Lauren Davis, Secretary; Miguel Guillén, Founder and Member; Jake Prendez, Member; Vanessa Villalobos, Member