ATLANTA — Leonard Cure, a 53-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Camden County, Ga. on Monday. In 2020, Mr. Cure was exonerated after being incarcerated for nearly two decades in Florida. 

“Our hearts are heavy with grief as we mourn the police-led killing of Leonard Cure – a man who was reveling in his new chapter of life in Georgia,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center.  

“No one should be shot to death during a traffic stop,” Huang continued. “The brutal and unjust violence Black people have endured at the hands of police must end. Enough is enough.” 

“The SPLC once again calls for a reimagining of policing in this country that respects the rights of all people,” Huang concluded. “Leaders at every level must take urgent action to end the culture of anti-Blackness in policing, keep all communities safe and demand accountability until equal justice is a reality for all.”