NDIA's Hawk Carlisle offers a statement on civil unrest in the United States

NDIA President and CEO Hawk Carlisle

My Fellow Americans,

What is happening in our country is horrible and tragic, and we must not be silent on the subject. George Floyd should not have died, but he did — and all those responsible for his death should be held accountable. 

Though we cannot change the past, we can acknowledge and learn from it. We can go forward with more knowledge and understanding to ensure our voices are heard and listened to in the most effective manner possible.

Excessive use of force by police is absolutely unacceptable and must be stopped. Police need to be held to a higher standard. They are here to protect every person — period. All sides of this issue should remember that actions have consequences and the well-being of all forever should be our top priority.

Peaceful protest is a fundamental right in our country and it must be protected. When such demonstrations are transformed and escalated into situations that cause damage and harm innocent people, there is no winner. Anyone involved in such malign escalation should be held accountable. We cannot let such people destroy our ability to peacefully protest racism, prejudice and the unfair treatment of any individual or group.

 The racism in our country is awful and a plague to our society. We must take constructive action to put an end to it. We are all responsible in this effort. We must treat everyone with dignity and respect, and we must step up and stop the evil and prejudice before they damage our country beyond repair. We are all in this together, and so we must have the courage to work together to find an effective solution.

Our fragile experiment in democracy depends on us. We must live up to our core belief that all men and women are created equal.

Hawk