US Officials Should Sign Pledge to Punish Racist Police Departments

Elected officials and candidates for office in the United States are being urged to sign a pledge promising to halt funding for racially biased police departments, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said in a press release.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The request came as the NAACP unveiled a document for officials to sign called, Pledge to Protect and Preserve Our Lives.

"By signing the pledge, officials promise to take action to cut off funding to law enforcement agencies that discriminate," the NAACP release stated.

The pledge was proposed in response to the police shooting dead an armed black man in the US city of Milwaukee on Saturday. The killing sparked violent protests over the weekend, resulting in the wounding of several police officers as well as material damage to local businesses.

In recent months, killings of unarmed primarily African-American men during routine encounters with police have prompted protests across the United States and a renewed debate on race relations.