More than 50 progressive groups led by Black organizations such as Black Voters Matter have signed a letter to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, warning he could lose Black voters if he doesn’t commit to real police reforms.

Biden has said he does not support defunding the police, a movement that has gained strength in the wake of George Floyd’s death on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.

Floyd’s death is raising questions about why police departments need more money from taxpayers to strengthen an institution that’s broken and riddled with violence and systemic racism against Black people.

Instead of defunding the police, Biden wants to increase the flow of money to them to the tune of $300 million for a federal community policing program.

The groups that signed the letter to Biden argued Biden’s plan will only exacerbate the problem of over-policing, Reuters reported.

“We are here to tell you, unequivocally, that that is NOT the answer,” the letter reads.

Floyd’s death led to demonstrations throughout the U.S. and the world against police brutality and systemic racism that in recent years have given rise to movements such as Black Lives Matter.

The letter, dated June 11, was signed by the Bernie Sanders-associated Our Revolution, the Working Families Party, and the League of United Latin American Citizens, among others.

In it, they pointed out how Biden contributed to mass incarceration.

“In the course of your political career, you have designed and endorsed policies that have significantly exacerbated these problems,” the letter said.

“As a Senator, you not only supported, but in many cases authored and championed laws that expanded mass incarceration, increased police powers, and exacerbated racial disparities in surveillance and sentencing. These laws … are a part of the history that has led us to this moment, and their ongoing fallout has contributed to the outpourings of grief and anger we are seeing today,” they wrote.

The signers encouraged Biden to adopt a 21-page policy proposal released by The Movement for Black Lives to reduce incarceration and cut back police forces across the country, The Hill reported.

They also want Biden to drop his $300 million proposal to fund the community policing (COPS) program, which would involve hiring and training additional police officers to patrol communities where they live.

“We make these demands first and foremost because we seek justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — as well as all the other Black lives lost — and policies like these are what justice looks like in practice,” the letter says.

“But we also make them with an eye toward the November election. … You cannot win the election without the enthusiastic support of Black voters, and how you act in this moment of crisis will play a big role in determining how Black voters — and all voters concerned with racial justice — respond to your candidacy. A ‘return to normalcy’ will not suffice,” they wrote.

Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 72: Jamarlin Martin   Part 2. J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, may not be around but his energy is present in new Black politics.FBI agents and informants were used to weaken Marcus Garvey, the Nation of Islam and the Black Panthers — in many cases for money and career advancement. How could this energy metastasize into the “New Blacks” politics in 2020? Jamarlin goes solo to discuss who is doing the trading and what is being traded to weaken the aggregate Black political position.

The letter came a day after Biden wrote a USA Today op-ed restating his earlier proposal to add new funds for community policing.

In response to the letter, Biden’s campaign pointed to his earlier calls for police reforms, Star Tribune reported. He called on Congress to pass a law banning the police chokeholds, to stop giving police military weapons, to create a model “use of force” standard and to improve oversight and accountability.

Biden released his Black agenda in May. His proposal, “Lift Every Voice: The Biden Plan for Black America,” focused on the African-American community and racial disparities in the impact of covid-19. But early criticism of the agenda includes that it falls short because it does not discuss reparations or the roots of inequality in the U.S.