Yesterday, the City of Chicago and the nation witnessed the last minutes of 13-year-old Adam Toledo's life and the moment he was killed by a police officer who fired a fatal shot into his chest while Adam had his hands raised.

Adam's death underscores how our current approach to policing fails Black and brown youth, their families, and their communities. Our laws and policies, and the people who enforce them, should protect and support Black and brown children and youth - not make them more vulnerable.

Vera stands with communities across the country in condemning police brutality and violence. We call on government leaders in Chicago to act swiftly to conduct an independent and transparent investigation.

About the Vera Institute of Justice:

The Vera Institute of Justice is a justice reform change agent. Vera produces ideas, analysis, and research that inspire change in the systems people rely upon for safety and justice. Vera collaborates with the communities most impacted by these systems and works in close partnership with government and civic leaders to implement change. Across projects, Vera is committed to explicitly and effectively reducing the burdens of the justice system on people of color and frames all work with an understanding of our country’s history of racial oppression. Vera is currently pursuing core priorities of ending the misuse of jails, transforming conditions of confinement, providing legal services for immigrants, and ensuring that justice systems more effectively serve America’s increasingly diverse communities. Vera has offices in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; New Orleans, and Los Angeles.