USA: Anti-racist group calls for community-centered safety approaches instead of hiring private security firms with records of abuse
In April 2018, Denver-based artist Raverro Stinnett was waiting for a train when a security guard employed by Allied Universal told Raverro to go into a bathroom where the guard beat him unconscious. Three other Allied security guards stood watch and left Raverro without medical assistance.
Raverro suffered a critical brain injury and continues to have lasting health impacts that prevent him from creating art at the level he had been prior to the attack. In October 2020, he reached a settlement with for an undisclosed amount with Allied Universal.
The blog piece below by From Allies to Abolitionists, a Denver-based anti-racist civil society group, highlights a pattern of allegations of racially motivated violence in the US by private security companies and calls for local, city, and state government officials to stop contracting with private security firms and instead explore alternative approaches to security that prioritize and integrate community-led solutions.
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Allied Universal, G4S, and Warburg Pincus to respond. Their responses are below.