URGENT GATHERING TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR BANKO BROWN

May 1, 2023

Media Contacts:

Thabile Makue, thabile@reimaginefreedom.org, (510) 980-1446

Vivien Toumey, vivien@youngwomenfree.org, (415) 513-7211

URGENT GATHERING TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR BANKO BROWN

Young Women’s Freedom Center and community advocates will gather in San Francisco on Monday at 3 pm to demand justice for Banko Brown, a 24-year-old who was shot and killed by a Walgreens security guard.

San Francisco, CA – Today, Young Women’s Freedom Center (YWFC) and community advocates will gather outside of Walgreens, 825 Market St, at 3 pm to demand justice for Banko Brown. 

On Thursday, April 27, Banko Brown was shot and killed outside Walgreens in San Francisco. At just twenty-four, he had been struggling with housing instability for over a decade. He worked tirelessly, making consistent calls for shelter and other basic needs. Still, instead of receiving the support he needed, Banko was criminalized and lost his life because of the City’s incapacity to do right by young people.

“We are beyond devastated by Banko’s passing. He was a smart and funny young man who, though shy, made friends easily. He was resilient and tenacious and loved by our whole community”. – says Julia Arroyo, Co-Executive Director at YWFC, where Banko worked as a community organizer.

YWFC and community advocates will gather on Monday outside Walgreens on Market Street, where Banko was killed. They will put forth the following demands:

1. We demand justice for Banko:
   1. Walgreens must be held accountable for hiring armed security:
      1. They place profits over life and are responsible for Banko’s death
   2. San Francisco must take responsibility for failing Banko for over twelve years:
      1. Criminalizing and incarcerating him instead of meeting his basic needs 
      2. Not providing him with housing despite Mayor London Breed’s promise to address housing for trans youth
      3. Ignoring the survival needs of young people, especially poor and Black youth, and investing in policing and the carceral system
      4. Reinforcing a false narrative of criminality and chaos to explain their overinvestment in policing and their loss of city revenue due to large migrations out of the city during the COVID-19 pandemic

2. We demand housing and safety for Black, poor, and trans youth:
   1. Black Lives Matter:
      1. We demand an end to the terrorizing and killing of Black youth
      2. We demand safe housing and resources for Black youth experiencing poverty 
      3. We demand a serious plan to intervene in the killing of Black youth by law enforcement and private security
      4. We demand a thorough investigation into the use of deadly force by security guards
      5. We demand an end to the criminalization and punishment of Black and trans youth for poverty
   2. The lives of trans youth are sacred and should be protected
      1. We demand urgent housing for trans youth 
      2. We demand responsive housing solutions that are accessible and reliable 
      3. We demand a plan for protecting trans youth against violence from law enforcement and private security

3. We demand investment in Black and trans youth:
   1. We demand the defunding of the police and juvenile carceral system and investment in providing accessible resources for young people
   2. We demand the end of contracting of armed security
   3. We demand immediate funding for community-based housing that responds to what young people want for themselves

###END###

About Young Women’s Freedom Center

Since 1993, Young Women’s Freedom Center has provided support, mentorship, training, employment, and advocacy to young women and trans youth of all genders in California who have grown up in poverty, experienced the juvenile legal and foster care systems, have had to survive living and working on the streets, and who have experienced significant violence in their lives. Our mission is to build the power and leadership of directly impacted young people and inspire them to create positive change in their lives and communities.