New York State pushes to end qualified immunity (QI), reports the Times Union. Although federal efforts to repeal QI have failed, police reform advocates possess a new strategy. Specifically, targeting individual states. One of these states is New York.
Furthermore, the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity (CTEQI) helps to implement these strategies. As CTEQI Director Edward Erikson tells the Times Union, “We’re going to be focusing all of our public education resources and advocacy resources on New York…to try to advance state-based solutions.”
This isn’t the first time CTEQI has lent its voice to New York State.
Last June, CTEQI partners rallied in Albany. New York State Senator Robert Jackson organized the event. Senator Jackson’s intention was to call on his fellow lawmakers to back his accountability bill, S 1991. The bill aims to eliminate qualified immunity in the Empire State. Furthermore, Jerry Greenfield spoke at the rally. Greenfield is the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s and co-chair of CTEQI.
All in all, police reform advocates find the shift to state-based work encouraging. They feel that New York State has a real shot at joining Colorado, New Mexico, and California. These three states passed legislation to strengthen public safety and hold bad cops accountable. Plus, advocating to end QI in New York makes sense because it’s “a state that people look to for leadership,” notes Edward Erikson. “Especially in the Northeast.’”
Katerina Siira, who volunteers in support of S 1991, told the Times Union that momentum builds in New York State. In fact, they’ve received “a flurry of calls” from various interest groups. “Lots of different organizers who had been working on these issues on the federal level have now…shifted to supporting state-level action,” Siira adds.
As we can see, the fight to end qualified immunity is far from over.
Read the entire article about New York State pushing to end QI here.